Vampire Realm
by TillEvermore
Summary: Tea finds herself drawn to a lake only to find herself pulled into another realm where an evil enemy awaits to hunt her, and soon she finds that her life lies in the hands of the vampire Seto Kaiba. Though her biggest enemy, may be herself. TeaxKaiba
1. The Lake

It was that refreshing feeling like ice tea on a hot summer day that drew Tea to that spot every night since she had first come across the lake. It was hidden by a circle of trees that completely surrounded it. She wasn't sure why she was drawn to the lake but every night she dreamed of it and those dreams led her there. At nighttime a cool breeze swept through the trees and always sent a chill down her spine. The water of the lake sparkled in the moonlight like it was covered in tiny diamonds. It was the most alluring thing she had every seen.

It was her fifth time coming there and this night was no different. She placed her feet in the cool water and enjoyed what nature had conveniently hidden from everyone else. There was a tug on her foot that caused her to move into the water more. The harder she pulled the harder it was for her to escape the force. She let out a cry as her body was yanked into the crisp water. She flailed her arms in an attempt to stop it, but every attempt she made failed. Two hands latched around her waist and yanked her up. She gasped when her face hit the cool air. Her eyes met that of her savior and she couldn't help, but laugh at her luck. "Seto Kaiba? You saved me?"

He didn't answer her at first. Instead he ran a hand gently across her wet face. "This can't be."

"What? Were you expecting someone else?"

"You're dead."

"No I'm not."

A look of understanding crossed his face. "You're not a vampire."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're in the wrong realm Tea Gardner."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry but you have to go back to you own realm."

"Will you answer me!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Where am I? No, I'm not a vampire. And why do you keep acting like I'm Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz?"

He shook his head and smirked his signature smirk. "You don't know anything. Great. That means you don't know how you got here. Which means I don't have to worry about you telling the enemy." Tea looked at him with an even more confused expression. "My name is Seto Kaiba, as you already know from the me in realm. You Tea have somehow managed to cross the impassable boundaries that separate the realm of the mortals and the realm of the vampires something that Marik and his followers have been trying to do for thousands of years, yet you've seemed to have accomplished this task without even trying."

The sudden realization of what was going on hit her. She looked around her and it all seemed so blatantly obvious. The trees that surrounded the lake were completely gone, all that remained was a few roots. She could see for miles away what looked like a wasteland. In the distance were decrepit buildings and towers where the city of Domino would be in her time. Even the vampire Kaiba was different. His hair was longer messier, his eyes aged, yet he looked amazing. He was dressed in a pair of black pants and a tight fitting black tank. His muscles were large like he worked out every day of his life.

"Wait a second," Tea whispered, forgetting that she was still in the arms of the vampire Seto Kaiba. "If you're in both realms that means that there is another Tea in this realm."

He shook his head. "There was, but she's dead."

Tea couldn't mask her shock.

Kaiba picked her up. "I'm going to take you back to my place. It's on the outskirts of Domino. You'll be safe there for a while. I doubt anyone would truly recognize you except for those close to the vampire you."

"I guess that means you were close to her."

"She married my best friend, of course I would be close to her." He held onto her closely and ran quickly into the night at a speed that was impossibly fast, but maybe not for a vampire.

"Who's your best friend?"

"Joseph."

"Joey?" Tea nearly choked on her own laughter. "You and Joey best friends, me and Joey married?" She laughed harder.

Kaiba looked at her sternly. "You are nothing like Tea, the Lady of Dawn."

"Well maybe because she and I are from two totally different lives." She looked into Kaiba's blue eyes. "Trust me, the Kaiba in my world would have made me walk to your place if he invited me."

"Then he and I are alike. If you were a stranger that is exactly what I'd do, but you're not just a stranger, you're familiar as well." He stopped and Tea realized they had reached his place. It was a huge castle made of gray bricks with two towers that reached high into the sky. It was like nothing Tea had ever seen and it was surrounded by water and plants like an oasis in a sea of nothingness when compared to the wasteland around it. Just looking at the building was intimidating.

"This place is astonishing."

Kaiba smirked. "I know."

"I take back everything I said about you two not being similar."

His smirk increased. "Well Tea, welcome to your new home."


	2. Familiar Stranger

She wasn't sure what to expect when they entered the castle through the twin steel doors. The halls were barren except for a string of red lights that hung along the cieling casting an eerie red glow throughout the hall, but what caught her eye the most was the way the hard rock that made up the castle shimmered in the red light. It was like nothing else that she had ever seen before.

"What is it?" she asked more to herself than Kaiba.

"It's called Fire Rock. The red light activates pigments in the stone causing it to shimmer. We vampires can see in the dark so the need for light is seemingly useless except when it creates such an effect on the stones that the castle is made of."

"Why is it so barren?"

"Because we may have to leave tomorrow, or the next day, or never. Adding decor to a place makes it seem like home and we do not have a home."

It was a grim life to live almost the anti life she had in what Kaiba had called the 'mortal realm'. It wasn't until he had turned down the next hall that she realized that he was still carrying her. "You can put me down if you like. I learned how to walk a long time ago."

"Not now. Its not safe. I'm not sure how the other vampires will react to the call of mortal blood. At this moment they are probably out searching for prey, but that could easily be you if they find you in a vulnerable situation, and the safest place for you to be at the moment is in my arms." He turned once more and they entered a huge hall which was just as barren as the halls except for one chair, more like a throne, that sat in the dead center of the room. It was made of solid gold with dazzlings gems going up and down the arms. It was the most magnificent thing Tea had ever seen. But Kaiba continued on down the hall which had at least ten different doors, but he went to the last door and opened it. Another almost barren room with a chandelier that gave off red light, the difference from the rest of the castle she had seen was that it was _almost _barren. In it was a king size bed with what looked like velvet sheets on it. "Each of us has a bed, though its not very often used for sleeping. But this is my room and they aren't allowed in my room. You'll be safe enough here." He dropped her on the bed. "I have things to do, don't leave."

Tea couldn't be sure exactly what time it was. It was impossible to tell since the room was windowless meaning not even the sun's rays could give her a clue. She had simply laid on his bed in silence. It was hard for her to fall asleep when every time she closed her eyes she thought of home. The difference from where she had come from and where she was now was like night and day. A thriving city in her world was a barren wasteland in this one. Home. It was a place she may only be able to see in her mind. She wasn't sure why she was in the vampire realm, she wasn't sure how she would get back, and she wasn't sure if she'd live long enough to find out.

There was a loud crack as the door exploded with a force she had never seen before. She moved away cautiously as a figure entered the room, that from the silhouette she could tell was not Seto Kaiba. Tea waited until the figure moved underneath the red light. It was then that she stared into the eyes of a familiar stranger.

"How the hell could this happen?" he asked in disbelief. He was shirtless, only dressed in black pants with muscles almost as huge as Kaiba's. Across his chest was a jagged scar that stretched from his right shoulder across to his left hip.

"Joey?" Tea asked as she took in his appearance. He looked aged and he was growing a beard. His hair was also brown not blonde, and his eyes were cold and harsh.

"My name is Joseph not Joey."

"Sorry."

He laughed bitterly. "You really aren't her are you?" He approached Tea quickly until he was inches away from her face. "You don't smell like her either. You smell...pure. She smelled like roses and wine. But you look like her." He leaned in close until he was inches away from her. "I wonder if you kiss like her."

"What the hell are you doing in here," came the deep harsh voice of Kaiba. Joseph turned his head only enough so that he could see Kaiba out of his right eye and Tea in his left.

"When were you going to tell me about her?"

"You aren't in a position to ask any questions."

"When!"

"Don't question me."

"When!"

In a split second, Kaiba had completely covered the distance between the two and his hand was tightly around Joseph's neck. "You forget who is in charge. I was going to tell you when I felt like telling you and I'm guessing the reason you barged in here in the first place was because you smelled fresh blood. Before you saw who she looked like you were probably going to rip out her throat and drink her blood. Correct?" Joseph didn't answer so Kaiba squeezed tighter. "Answer my question."

"Yes."

"She is not your late wife Joseph. She is a mortal from the other realm. She may share the resemblance and the name, but that is it. She is not the same person you loved. She is not the Lady of the Dawn."

Joseph cast Tea a hungry look mixed with what seemed to be pure hatred. "A mortal. How...odd."

"The next time you enter this room. I will kill you."

"I understand. My sincerest apologies my lord."

"Leave. Don't even look at her, or I will kill you." Kaiba let Joseph go. He waited until he had gone before focusing his attention on Tea. "If this is the safest place in the castle, I'm sure you are getting a full understanding of what safe means in this world."

"There is no such thing as safe for you. I need to go home," Tea whispered.

Kaiba meerly laughed. "Home..I've waited two thousand years for a place to call home." He picked her up in his arms. "I lied when I said this was my room. I wanted to test how quickly they would come for you, my own people. It only took ten minutes." He carried her back into the huge hall with the thrown. She could see two solid gold doors that she hadn't noticed before. He led her into the room which had a king size bed as well, but with a deep emerald comforter that was lined with a gold trim. "This is my bedroom you will stay with me tonight." He placed her on the bed.

"Has it really only been ten minutes?"

"Give or take."

"It felt like forever. I don't know how vampires do it."

The corner of his mouth turned slightly, almost a smile, but not quite. "There is one thing we have to do first."

"What?"

"We have to introduce you to the rest of the vampires. It'll be interesting to see how many try to kill you."


	3. In the Crowd

He was sentencing her to death.

She was sure of that.

"You want me to meet the others?"

"That's what I said."

"They will kill me and I'll never see home."

Kaiba laughed. "They will not kill you, and even if you live, it does not mean that you will see home." He sat down on the bed beside her. "Don't forget that I am the one that rules here, and that I could kill them all in a blink of an eye. But that will not be necessary, because I have this feeling that they will more than except you because of what you represent."

"And what would that be?"

"You represent the truth. And that truth is that there is something on the other side, something better than this and if our other selves can make something better, then we can as well.

Tea ran her fingers along the green comforter. It was like silk between her fingers. "How beautiful something can be in all this death and destruction is hard to believe." She turned her head so that she and Kaiba were looking directly at each other. "If I never go home, I hope that one day you can find a home of your own."

He smirked. "Your something else, I hope you know that. You sit here hoping for good things to happen to me, but you barely even know me." She shrugged. "Hmm, I can hear them. My family has arrived. Let the fun begin." He stood and held out his hand to her. "Shall we?"

Tea took his hand as he led her to the door. "You refered to them as family." She smiled.

"We've been together for two thousand years. Time outweighs blood lines."

Tea nodded in response as he led her into the main hall again. He sat her down at the throne in the center of the room and waited by her side. The hall filled quickly with unfamiliar faces, and a few that she recognized, but the one that she focused her attention on the most was that of Joseph. His fury leaked through his entire being. Whether his rage was directed at her or not was unclear, but the attention of every vampire in the room was on her. There were a few gasps and a few hisses, but none of the responses had as much of an effect as the one that came from the back of the crowd

"So, we lose the Lady of Dawn, and then we are graced with a human replacement, how lucky of us," came a deep voice. "Ha ha ha. One wench dies and we are honored with another. Funny how the world works." The speaker pushed through the crowd to stand directly before he. "I could smell your blood from miles away. It is alluring beyond belief." He laughed a deep cold laugh which was on the border of sheer insanity. "I can't wait to taste your blood, but our dear Kaiba is protecting you, is he not?"

Kaiba growled. "Bakura. I thought I told you not to come back here again."

Bakura shrugged as he smiled a dangerous smile. "But her blood brought me here. I expect Marik will know of her presense soon, and he will send his men to capture her and kill her. Maybe he'll let me have a bit first." With each word Bakura spoke he inched closer. He was three feet away now and Tea was waiting for Kaiba to react, but he stood there looking as if he wasn't even interested. Bakura leaned forward. "You smell so good. Could I have a taste?"

The kick to the face was more than enough to send Bakura back a few steps and to shock the growing crowd of vampires.

"She kicked me!" Bakura screeched as he stared at Tea with wonder.

Kaiba didn't hide his amusement. "She wouldn't have been able to, but you underestimated her."

"Stay away from me," Tea stated. "I may be a human, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to let you stand in front of me and openly talk about taking a bite out of me." A few vampires let out nervous laughter, but one vampire openly laughed without worry.

"I like her," a Tristan look alike said as he took a step forward. "And she has a pretty impressive kick."

Bakura growled at Tea as he made eye contact. He took a quick step forward, but Kaiba had his hand around his throat even faster. "Leave. The fact that I let you live so long was a gift. Don't make me take my gift back."

Bakura backed away slowly while Kaiba lightened his grip. "This will only make things worst, protecting my future dinner, because they will find her and kill her." Bakura laughed as he took his leave. The crowd's gaze followed him leave, then their attention turned back to the real problem at hand: having a human in their presence.

"I like her," Tristan repeated. "Anyone gutsy enough to kick Bakura in his face is fine with me."

"What about Marik?" one of the female vampires asked.

"What about him?" Kaiba asked. "He wants us killed. Human or no human. I am no fool. We are going to protect her and for those of you who believe that they may not be able to stop their appetites, can leave. Understood? Her blood is strong, but not strong enough to drive you mad with temptation. It only drives those who are already in the darkness, to a darker place. If you're going to leave, now is your opportunity. Go."

Out of the thirty or so vampires, six took their leave.

"Then its decided. Those not strong enough to resist the temptation, won't be able to control their desire for death and vengence during a fight, and tonight we hunt," Kaiba announced. The crowd errupted into cheers. Kaiba turned to Tea and outstretched his hand. She took it and stood.

"Thanks Tristan," Tea said.

"How do you..." he began to ask.

"There's another you in my world as well," she explained.

Kaiba led her back into his room and closed the door. "Impressive."

"Thanks," Tea said as she climbed onto the bed. "What exactly do you plan on hunting?"

"Vampires."

"Wait, you're not hunting for blood?"

"No, tonight we hunt the enemy."


	4. Promise

Sorry its been so long, I've been so busy. Well I fixed some of the spelling mistakes in the other chapters and now, here's the newest chapter in my own personal vampire saga.

* * *

It was odd watching the vampires spar with each other in preparation for their hunt. One female in particular fought with a graceful fury, while another vampire fought with hesitation and force, they all fought differently, yet they all looked deadly. Tea sat on the floor in the giant hall, watching each of their different techniques. Tristan fought with steady, but powerful blows, while Joseph fought with quicker, yet strong attacks. Kaiba stood off to the side watching each one of his 'family' ready themselves, leaving Tea to wonder what he was going to do with her. Was he going to leave her behind? Was he going to take her with him and the rest when they hunted?

She frowned to herself. She didn't want to be left in the castle. As dangerous as Kaiba's enemies were, his allies were just as dangerous, and to a lot of them she could easily be dinner.

She looked over the group again, her eyes moving to the spot where Kaiba had been, but he wasn't there anymore.

"Hey what's on your mind?"

She instinctively smiled at the sound of the voice. "Nothing really."

"If you say so," Tristan said as he sat down beside her. "So, from what I hear, you have no idea how you got here?"

"No, I don't. I wish I did. I had these dreams about this enchanting lake, and I found it. I started going there, and then one night a force drew me into the lake, and Kaiba pulled me out.

"A force?"

"Yes. I'm not sure what it was, but something. I tried so hard not to get pulled in, but it was useless."

"Is there really another me in your world?"

Tea grinned. "Yes, he's such a goofball, but he's funny and supportive, and he's best friends with Joey. I really miss Joey's jokes and his quirkiness, and then there was Yugi..." Tea wasn't smiling anymore.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just thinking about the people I've left behind."

"I'm sure you'll see them again."

"I hope so."

"You will."

She laughed. "Thanks."

He grinned. "You're a really nice girl, even if you are different from us. If you ever have a problem you can come to me."

"Thank you." She hesitated for a second. "I have a question. How did you all become vampires? Or were you always this way?"

"Well, from what I remember, we've always been this way."

"From what you remember?"

"Yeah we all started life off like this, in this form, with no real memories, just with the clothes on our back and a deep craving for blood."

"Was the world like this already?"

"Yeah. I woke up in a dilapidated building with Joseph by my side. We weren't sure of anything but our names and our language. Everything else was gone from us. We were lost, until Kaiba found us. I'm not sure how long it was that Joseph and I wandered together alone, but then we met the Lady of Dawn, the other you. Joseph fell in love with her almost immediately. She was not only strong, but alluring, elegant, and graceful and Joseph believed that she was the most intelligent person he had ever met. They were never apart. Then we eventually came across Kaiba and the group of vampires that he had managed to put together."

"How did you find out about the mortal realm?"

"There's a book written by prophets. It can only be unlocked by an amulet, an amulet that has long been missing, but some of the pages were torn out. Those pages depicted what we were. The pages described the cravings and our abilities. It described that there was another realm where those called mortals existed. It described how death was almost impossible for us and that we would only die if we were beheaded, or if our heart stopped beating."

"Your heart, beats?"

"Yes, yours does as well, I can hear it."

"I'm just surprised, because in my world vampires are just myths said to be almost like the living dead."

"Our hearts beat, so that the blood we drink from our prey can pass through our body and nourish us. Blood isn't necessary often, but without it the urge becomes almost overbearing. That is why we drink."

"You're like a completely different species, not like a creature of darkness." Tea smiled. "It's very interesting to see how wrong I was."

Tristan laughed. "Its very interesting to see how wrong we were. We expected humans to be filthy weak creatures, but you're not anything like that. At least, not that I can tell."

"How do you get supplies? There's no real society just the two groups of vampires."

"You'd be surprised by how easy it is to find clothes. There are thousands of abandoned clothes stores to go to, not everywhere is as bad as this, but this area has good places to hunt nearby. There are alot of wild animals and a lot of the vampires enjoy being in a castle for safety's purposes. I'm sure you feel the same way."

Tea laughed. "Thank you for the talk. I feel like I understand this world a little better now."

"Anytime. I'm going to finishing sparring, because tonight we get to have some fun."

* * *

Tea slipped on the silk red night gown that one of the female vampires had left for her, and she climbed into Kaiba's oversized bed, so that she could sleep. But her sleep led to nightmares and her nightmares caused her to wake. When she opened her eyes, Kaiba sat quietly in the corner of the room reading a book.

"You're finally awake," he noted.

She nodded.

"We're going out. A few of the vampires are going to stand watch over you."

"I understand why you're going without me, but I don't..."

"There are no other choices. You can't come with us, they'll kill us and your scent will give us away. You have to stay here."

"And what if I leave?"

Kaiba stared at her. "Then you die, if not by Marik's rogues, or any other vampire, then by me."

She slowly climbed off the bed. "You'd kill me?" she asked as she walked over to Kaiba.

"If it meant protecting my family."

"Let me leave then."

"What?"

"Let me leave. I'll go somewhere far away from here, so that your family will be safe. I'm no help to anyone here, not even myself. I need to find a way home. Let me go."

Kaiba shook his head. "I can't."

"Why?"

"Because you're the only hope they have for something more."

"Am I the only hope that you have as well?"

Their eyes met. "Yes."

"The only way I'm going to stay here is if you let me fight."

"What?" Kaiba asked in disbelief.

"Teach me how to fight."

"You're not strong enough to fight us, we're more powerful."

"I don't care. Teach me. I need to be able to protect myself incase something happens."

Kaiba was quiet for a few moments before answering. "Fine, but it won't be me who teaches you. I don't have the time, you'll have to settle for second best. Can you handle that?"

"Yes."

"Then Joseph will teach you."

Tea realized what he was doing almost immediately. He didn't want her fighting, so he picked the person who she would be the least likely to train with. "Fine."

Kaiba smirked. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"You're not ready to go out tonight. There will be other opportunities."

Tea frowned. "Fine, but only if you promise me that you'll let me go and help. I'm tired of being a burden."

Kaiba grinned. "If you walked out in the hall with that lingerie, I'm sure no one would mind."

Tea blushed. "I'm going to bed, but promise me."

"I don't make promises."

Tea's eyes narrowed.

"Fine. I promise, but not because you're intimidating, because I don't mind you walking around in lingerie."

Tea grinned. "Thank you." She climbed into the bed, and wrapped herself in the sheets.

"By the way, I'll tell Joseph to start training you tomorrow."


	5. Leaving

* * *

Tomorrow had begun sooner than Tea had expected. She was dressed in a tight fitting black top with black short shorts. It was what the female vampires had gathered for her. The vampire girls seemed to like black, as well as short things. It was odd watching the vampires rush around trying to find something for her to eat, they had never had a human before in their prescence, and any food was at least two thousand years old. They had managed to find garlic, which Tea found more than a little humerous. Kaiba insisted that they would start a garden just for her using the methods described in various books found, they were in an oasis, so they had the water and land necessary.

But soon enough Tea found herself making her way to a small room on the west wing of the castle. It was easy enough to find. Kaiba had told her that it was the room with the crimson door, and it was impossible to miss. He had been right. When she reached the doorway, she wasn't sure what to do with herself, she was positive that her prescense was already known. Her hand reached out to knock, but she hesitated. She heard an angry reply through the door, "Come in."

She opened the door hesitantly. The room wasn't as empty as she expected. It had a bed, desk and chair, and an armoire all pushed off to the side. The room had two windows that were sealed shut with wood. And red lights were strung across the cieling, making the room glow.

"How do you get electricity in here?" Tea asked.

"Its hydroelectric, we string the wires along the cieling, we've had two thousand years to perfect it," Joseph said as he stared at her with crossed arms from the opposite side of the room. He was dressed in faded denim jeans and a ripped t-shirt.

Tea nodded. "I'm sorry that you have to do this."

Joseph scoffed. "Whatever. If this is what Kaiba wants, then there obviously is a reason why he would put me through this. That means that there is a reason why he would put you through this as well. He always seems to have some underlying reason." He walked by her. "Follow me." He led her down the hallway into an open area. "We'll practice here every day and every night. You'll meet me as soon as you wake up, and right after our dining hour. Twice a day, no exceptions. I don't care how bruised, sore, or hurt you are. Vampires are not weak, and you can't afford to be as weak as you are now."

"Fine."

Joseph laughed bitterly. "You say that now." He stood parallel to her. "Fight me."

She took a deep breath and launched herself at Joseph. He laughed as he sidestepped out of the way. "Is that all?" She threw a punch, which he effortlessly caught in his palm. "Pathetic." She threw her left elbow at him, while trying to kick out his left leg. He caught arm, while the kick made contact. He grinned devilishly. "You're too slow, and that kick was too high on my leg, you should go for the back of the knee. Like this." She felt a hard kick and her left leg gave out. She landed hard on her right side.

"I'm not even sure why I'm wasting my time," Joseph chided. "You landed one pathetic kick."

"I wouldn't have landed it, but you underestimated me."

Joseph stiffened. "I promise you, I won't make that mistake again."

Tea pulled herself to her feet. "And next time, I'll make sure you hit the ground."

He laughed bitterly. "Again?"

* * *

Every inch of her body burned with intensity. She barely made it to the bed, and was too sore to pull the sheets on. She let out a frustrated groan as she felt the pain run through her.

It didn't help that she knew she'd have to do it all over again in only a few hours.

There was a loud bang as the bedroom door nearly broke of its hinges as Kaiba stormed into the room. He paid no attention to her, instead he paced back in forth, occasionally slamming his fist into the wall. She watched pieces of rock fall to the floor.

"What's wrong?" she asked, daring to move her sore body to face him.

He said nothing except, "They know you're here."

She reiterated the words through her mind processing them over and over again.

"Tea, they know."

His voice was like a whisper now, just another noise in the distance.

They knew. The enemies knew what she was. They'd come and find her, and kill her. They would use this as justification for another fight with Kaiba and his followers. Marik would find her. He would kill her. Then she'd never have the chance to see her friends again. She'd never see the people she loved again.

"No," she whispered to herself. Marik's followers would come to the castle. They would kill the other vampires just to get to her. People would die because of her. It was all because of her. "I'm so selfish."

"Tea?"

"I'm so selfish."

She was so worried about her needs and going home that she didn't realize how she had effected the vampires here, especially Kaiba, the person who was supposed to protect them. His protecting her, had endangered his people. It was her fault.

Tea moved slowly off the bed, noticing that Kaiba had stopped pacing and was now watching her intently. The pain that had been so important before seemed so far away. She knew what she had to do.

She made her way to the door, but Kaiba reached it before her.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving."

"We've had this conversation before."

"But that was before. Things have changed. Everything has changed."

"You're not going to accomplish anything by leaving. They will find you. They will kill you, and your blood will be on my hands."

"Is that all that matters? You don't want to be responsible for my death? Trust me, you won't be."

"You don't get it."

"What don't I get?

"I can't let you go."

"Why?"

Kaiba let out a frustrated sigh.

"Kaiba. Please, let me do this."

"We made a promise."

"But.."

"I don't make promises. But with you I did." He stepped out of the way. "If you want to go. Then go."

She walked by him, placing her hand on the door. "You're really sad. You know that right?" He stared at her. "I never said I was leaving to go home."

"What do you mean?"

"I said I was leaving. You assumed I meant going home. I'm going to go find Joseph. I want him to train me harder. I want him to work me to death, because no matter what, they will come here. They will try and kill you. There's a reason I'm here Kaiba. I just know it. I can't be selfish about this, because its not about me, its about everyone." She leaned forward to whisper in his ear, "You taught me that." She smiled as she left him speechless.

* * *

Okay guys, its poll time again! I'd love some insight on what you guys are thinking, its annoymous so please check out my Crimson Blood poll! Thanks so much! Polls help me understand how people are feeling, and it also makes me re-evaluate my stories and make them better. I love them and I love taking them so thanks in advance, its in my profile!


	6. Nightmare

I'm going to keep the CB poll up until next chapter. Enjoy ;-)

* * *

Tea returned to Kaiba's bedroom sore and bruised again. Each day, Kaiba took it upon himself to count each new bruise. He seemed to find some sort of amusement out of it. Tea felt differently.

"When did I get this one?" Tea asked herself, as she lifted her shirt to check out the new bruise that was forming on the small of her back. Kaiba had specifically brought in a huge mirror just so that she count the bruises one by one.

Kaiba watched her with amusement from his usual spot. He sat in a chair in the furthest corner of the room facing towards the door, as if at any moment, someone would come breaking in.

"This isn't funny."

"Yes. It is."

Tea groaned. "Where did this one come from?" She stared at the bruise on her hip.

Kaiba smirked. "Its been a week since you started training. You should have less bruises, not more."

"Joseph is just more aggressive. Each time he takes me more seriously and he raises the stakes. I'll never be more powerful than him, but that doesn't mean I can't win against him. I just have to be smarter." She examined another purple and black mark that was forming on her stomach. Kaiba came up behind her. In the reflection in the mirror she could see his closeness, but she could feel it as well."

"The vampires around here are beginning to like you, trust you. I think they're starting to get used to a human being around."

"I doubt it."

Kaiba shook his head. "Trust me. They've grown to respect you." He sighed. "I have to leave for a little while. Joseph is coming with me, so are a number of our family. I'm going to leave some vampires here to protect you."

Tea nodded. She knew there was no point in arguing, because it would be an impossible fight to win.

"Don't do anything reckless," he warned with a playful smirk.

"I'll try not to," she grinned. "When are you leaving?"

"Tonight."

She stopped smiling. "Why? What's happening?"

"That doesn't concern you."

She spun around to face him. "Who are you kidding? Of course it concerns me. What if something happens while you are gone? What if someone attacks the castle? What if you get hurt? What if I never see..." Her voice trailed off.

He leaned in close. "Don't stop. Finish what you were going to say."

"No, its nothing. Just promise me you'll come back."

"Another promise? You do realize that promises are meant to be broken. Why do you rely on them so much?"

"Because it gives me hope."

"Then, I promise."

"Thanks."

"I need to get changed." He threw his midnight blue trench onto the green sheets of the bed.

Tea grinned. "Okay, I'll leave and let you change. Be safe tonight."

"You don't have to go. Feel free to stay." He took his shirt off to reveal his perfectly formed stomach, most likely from over two thousand years of fighting for survival. "Its more your room than mine now. You're in it more than I am."

"No. It's fine. I'm just going to...talk to Tristan." Tea left quickly, closing the door behind her and leaning her back against it. Seto Kaiba was bold in her world. He was bolder in this one.

* * *

The moon was like a perfect sphere in the night sky. It was a luminous white, reminding her of the moon the night she left her realm and entered the vampire realm. Maybe some things never changed. Maybe the moon was the same in all realms and even the sun. Each day she stayed in this realm, she felt pieces of her old life slipping away. She was changing.

Her gaze broke away from the moon, and no longer was she part of the night sky. Now she was just a girl standing in the main hall of the castle where the thrown waited silently, as if for its king arrive.

The castle was shroudded in darkness, but the rocks glowed a beautiful red from the lights that hung. It was deathly silent, and she wondered if the vampires slept. She knew they couldn't, but from the silence, they could have fooled her. She decided to walk through the dark halls, the glowing rocks gave off a supernatural red glow. A smile formed at her lips as she ran the tips of her fingers across it.

"Stunning? Isn't it?"

Tea jumped at the sound of the voice. It was like a seductive whisper coming from the darkness. yet it was somehow unsettling. At the end of the hall was the silhouette of a man. The faint red glow illuminated his body. He was dressed in a long black cloak that draped to the floor, but what stood out the most was the way his eyes reflected the red like a mirror.

Her mind took in her surroundings, what could be used to her advantage, and the possible escape routes. Just like Joey had taught her over the past week, but it meant nothing when her opponent had the element of surprise.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked, taking a step forward as he did. She, in turn, took two steps back.

"You're Marik."

His lips formed a satifsfied grin. "And you're Tea. I've heard much about you."

"From who? Bakura?"

"Yes. He was more than eager to give me every detail about you. What could you have possibly done to make him so...infuriated."

Kaiba had told her that he believed Bakura was the leak, he had been right. Tea took another step back.

"I am honored that you know my name."

"I knew you, in another life."

He smirked. "I'm not surprised." He inched closer.

"Why aren't the vampires here? Why aren't they stopping you?" Tea wondered if he could hear the terror in her voice. It wasn't fear of what would happen to her, but what could happen to those left to protect her.

Marik laughed shrilly. "Its because I have taken care of all them already."

"You killed them."

"All seven of them. Really, I expected more of a challenge. I expected him to leave better fighters with you. I expected him to be here himself. But Kaiba was always a dissapointment. Even when he and I were partners long ago, he was a dissapointment," Marik spoke. Tea frowned. "Oh? You didn't know of Kaiba's past and mine? Well, I'm sure he has his reasons for keeping it a secret. You see, he and I were like brothers. Blood ties couldn't have made us closer." In a blink of an eye he was next to her, pushing her to the wall with his full weight. He was unbelievably fast, faster than anything she had ever seen, faster than Joseph was. "You see," he whispered into her ear. "I'm not Kaiba." He ran his hands along her body, she cringed. A sardonic grin played across his lips.

"Bastard," she whispered. In one quick motion she needed him in the crotch. The blow hit and he croached over slightly and laughed.

"Fiesty. I bet he Kaiba likes that, but unlike him, I don't let my posssesions be taken." He placed his head on her neck and kissed it. "Let's play a game." He bit into her neck with an animal like growl. She felt the blood gushing out of her neck, but he eagerly drank it up. He placed his hand between her legs. "Let's see how angry he is when Kaiba comes back and sees what I've done to you. Let's see how he feels about his precious pet being tainted by me." She let out a scream. He grinned as he backed away and removed his hand. "Let the games begin." His fist crushed against her face. She expected to be filled with pain, but she felt nothing. He noticed her surprised expression. "Vampire venom numbs, and then it stimulates." He grinned demonically. "You'll know what I mean soon enough." He grabbed the back of her neck, and kissed her fiercely. "You taste delicious. I'll be back lover." He left in a mind blowing blur.

"The vampires..." She whispered as she frantically ran down the hallway and into the rooms in search of the seven left to guard her. The entire castle was empty, there was no sign of them. Tea walked into the main hall again where the thrown sat. The moon was no longer visible in the night sky. Numbness had spread through her body. A single drop of blood hit her hand. She hadn't felt it, but she had seen it glisten in the red light. There was another drop. She looked on the ground. A dark liquid had begun to pool in various spots. Her head raised towards the cieling. She could just make out seven bodies.

Silently she walked into Kaiba's room. The darkest corner of the room was perfect for her as she curled into a ball. Everything she feared had happened in one moment. One person. It only took one person. She closed her eyes. She needed to sleep, because she wasn't ready for what would happen when Kaiba returned. At least she knew she wouldn't have a nightmare, because she met nightmare's incarnate. His name was Marik.


	7. Break Me

I feel comfort in knowing that there is a computer between me and the reviewers!! Sorry for not updating in almost two months..I had school, lots and lots of school. I'll update a lot within the next one or two months. I promise :) Enjoy.

* * *

The sound of the door exploding was like a sonic boom. Pieces of it scattered in every direction. Tea barely managed to open her eyes when she felt herself being lifted into the air. Her body was numb, and she knew she had been sleeping, but it felt more like she had died and returned. The room twisted in disorienting directions. She couldn't seem to grasp what was going on, until she felt herself being placed gently on a bed. It wasn't Kaiba's room, she was somewhere else in the castle. She was in someone else's room entirely.

Her eyes shut tightly, and reopened. The world had come to a halt and she recognized where she was. It was the room Kaiba had put her in the first night she had arrived. With her hands, she pushed herself up so that she was sitting. In the corner, she saw Tristan and Joseph in deep discussion. Joseph's brown hair was a mess, while Tristan's shirt was ripped to shreds.

"Did you destroy the door?" Tea asked in a weak voice. The two jumped. She had never imagined that she'd be able to scare a vampire.

"That would be me," Joseph answered. "I thought Marik had killed you. That bastard killed seven of our family and left his name carved in their skin. He wrote it out with his fangs."

Tristan sighed. "He wasn't supposed to be here. We went tonight to get the element of surprise. We went to kill him once and for all. But he wasn't there. We couldn't get close to that damn tower of his anyway."

"Why?" Tea asked.

"He created a wall out of a pure silver," Tristan explained. "Vampires grow weak near silver, and we can die."

"Then, how did he make one, if he is a vampire?"

"He sacrificed thousands of vampire slaves to do it. Corpses lined the wall. All of them vampires who were sacrificed for his protection," Joseph hissed. "I can't wait to get my hands on him...We reached the wall and were ambushed by Marik's clan. We fended them off and decided to head back. The wall was impenetrable. Kaiba spotted Bakura in the fallen city and went after him, while we came back."

"The fallen city?"

"Domino."

Images of Domino City flashed through her mind: the beautiful skyscrapers that touched the sky, the busy streets, and the time she spent there with her friends. "Where is Kaiba?"

Both vampires tensed at the same time.

"What is it?"

Joseph shook his head. "He is coming."

"That's great. Isn't it?"

"No. Because when he sees you..." Tristan tried to explain. He gestured to a mirror. "Maybe you should take a good look at yourself."

Tea stood. Her legs wobbled a bit, but Tristan was at her side in a second to lead her to the mirror. She gasped as she stared at her battered reflection. Her brown hair was a mess, her shirt was torn and she couldn't even remember when the tear had happened. Her lips were swollen most likely from Marik's kiss. The right side of her face was blue from his punch. But the most noticeable of all was the two bite marks on the right side of her neck, and the area around it that had turned a blackish blue. Her hand ran across the fang marks. She watched as her reflection did the same. "Unreal," she whispered. "All of this is just so..." Her blue eyes stared back at her from the mirror like faded sapphires as if she had lost her fire. "What will happen if Marik injected me with his venom?"

Joseph cursed, while Tristan gasped. "He injected you?" Tristan asked. She nodded. "There have been things written in ancient lore of the possible side effects, but we have not had a human to try it on before."

"Marik mentioned that the venom stimulates."

Joseph hissed. "To think he would do this to an innocent girl."

"Do what?"

Joseph never had the chance to answer, both he and Tristan suddenly tensed.

"Guys, what is it?"

Joseph ran off in a blink of an eye, while Tristan explained, "Kaiba's back." He left just as quickly as Joseph, closing the door behind him.

Tea moved to the bed and wrapped herself in the sheets. She waited for a sign. Any sign would be fine, but all she heard was silence. The seconds turned into minutes. During the waiting, her head at begun to get hot. She wasn't sure what was going on. The rest of her felt fine and comfortable within the sheets.

The door to the room slowly began to open.

Her heart stopped.

When he entered he was hunched over, she fought the urge to run over to see if he was alright. Instead, she just watched his movements. He entered with his right hand on the door knob. He pace was slow and almost cautious. He removed his hand. What had been a doorknob fell to the floor as particles of dust. He was strong enough to grind a doorknob to dust with his barehand. She focused on him intently as he sat on the edge of the left side of the bed, far from her. His body was awkwardly leaning away as if she repelled him. Her mouth opened to speak, but she couldn't think of what to say. Instead, he spoke first.

"Are you alright?" he asked through what sounded like clenched teeth.

She nodded, but then answered once she realized he still would not look at her. "Yes."

"Tristan told me not to overreact before coming in here. That you were still 'recovering'." With all of his strength he turned his head to face her. His reaction was indescribable like a mixture of pain, hate, and frustration all wrapped into one. He could only see the top of her face, the rest of her was hidden beneath the blanket. He placed his hand on the edge of the bed, and squeezed. The whole left side of the bed broke beneath his hand, suddenly he was up and beside her. She was now on an awkward angle sliding down the left side, but he held her up. "I smell him on you."

She tensed.

Kaiba noticed her reaction and shook his head. "It does not matter Tea. You are still you no matter what he does. I can still smell you too, it is just that his scent lingers in this place." His hand gently stroked her face, but his fury was still overwhelming. He kissed her bruised cheek gently. Heat reached her cheeks. "What did he do to you? Tell me."

"Will you promise me that you won't destroy anything else?"

"No. That promise would be too easily broken. I will try."

"He punched me."

Kaiba's hands came together in tight fists in an attempt to restrain himself.

"He kissed me."

He growled, his body shaking with anger.

Tea remembered Marik's hand between her legs, and she curled herself into a ball. "That's it."

Kaiba laughed bitterly. "Stop lying. I understand you are trying to save me from the pain this is causing me, but don't."

Their eyes met. She couldn't tell him. She didn't know how, but she tried, she wanted to be honest with him. "He...." her voice trailed off she buried her head in her arms.

He didn't need a full explanation."Bastard!" Kaiba roared as his fist crashed into the wall. The sound of stone being demolished from beneath his fist echoed. She hadn't even felt him move. She looked up briefly. He stood at the opposite end of the room. Half the wall was lying on the floor. The hallway was visible on the other side. "What else?" he asked furiously.

It took all of her strength to move the blanket from around her neck. He let out a gasp, and rushed to her side. He ran his hand along the two fang marks. He gently turned her head to face him. "Tea..." He sighed. "I can't be here."

"What? Why?"

"Because I refuse to destroy anymore of my castle out of pure anger. I'll be back. Some people are fixing the door to my room. You'll stay there for now. And then we'll find a way to get you back home."

"What? What are you talking about? You are the one who said I shouldn't leave."

"I was wrong."

"You were wrong?" Tea asked angrily as she stood up. "I can't believe you. You knew the risk. You knew! And then something happens to me, and you can't take it! You said I represented hope for your people, and you know as much as I do that if it was that easy for me to go home, I would already be home. This is ridiculous. What are you so afraid of? You knew the risk and so did I."

"You don't understand. He has biten you and injected you with his venom."

"I know Seto."

"Have you felt it yet?" He stepped closer to her. "The burning?"

"My head is a little hot."

He shook with fury. "You are right. I was being brash. I did not thoroughly think it through. I am so sorry. Will you please stay in my room for now?"

"Will you stay with me?"

"Will that make you happy?"

"Yes."

"Then I will. I will have Joseph escort you there."

"Why? Do you think I'm going to run away?" she joked.

"Yes," he said in all seriousness. "I am going to go to the Wastelands for a bit to let go of my...frustration. But I will be back soon, please wait for me."

"Of course."

* * *

The vampires had replaced the old door just as quickly as she had imagined they would. Tristan and Joseph constantly kept watch over her, while Kaiba was out. She didn't expect Marik to return, but they seemed to not be taking any chances. The hotness in her head had faded, and she felt fine.

She wore a loose fitting white night gown. The white made her feel less tainted, and more human.

She had decided to snuggle beneath the covers, and sleep until Kaiba returned. As soon as she shut her eyes her mind was filled with darkness and Marik's silhouette stood before her.

"Lover. Come to me," he whispered. "Come to my fortress in the Fallen City. I am waiting for you. I will be your addiction."

Tea woke up with a gasp. Her body had begun to fill with a warm sensation. She crawled out of bed.

"Where are you going?"

She gasped as she spotted Kaiba in his usual spot. "I was going for a walk. I had no idea you were back."

"You were sleeping, so I did not want to wake you."

She smiled. "I'm glad you're here. I'll be back." She reached for the door.

"You said his name in your sleep."

She turned to him. "Whose name?"

"Marik."

"What are you talking about?" she asked. She couldn't possibly have said his name, not after what he did.

"You are going to him."

"No I'm not..." Faint images of the dream replayed in her mind. How had she forgotten it so quickly? "What's happening to me?"

"Until his venom wears off, you will be possessed with the idea of seeing him. When you are not with him, it will cause you physical pain."

Tea crawled back onto the bed, the warm sensation was getting more intense. "But I don't want this." Images of Marik filled her mind. "Stop it!"

Kaiba reached his arms around her tightly. "I am sorry this happened."

"Just make it stop."

"I can not, without injecting you with my own venom, and that could potentionally kill. Too much venom and you will die."

Her eyes met his and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Then make me forget." She pulled him into a passionate kiss. It was like kissing wildfire, an intense passion she had never had before. She pulled him down to the bed. The intensity of her longing for him overpowed the venom.

"Tea, are you sure?"

She grinned. "Just promise me you won't break me completely."

He ran his hand along her thigh and smirked. "I'll try not to, but I can't make any promises." He pushed against her fiercly and kissed her again.

* * *


	8. Treacherous

A lone figure stood gazing out over the silver montrosity of a wall that Marik had built. It would protect the psycho for only so long, she was aware of that, but it gave her just enough time to make all the final preparations.

It was almost too perfect how it had all fell into place. Kaiba was getting restless and he was going to do something brash. He was emotionally involved more now than ever. He would go on a rampage once he had found out what Marik had done to the girl. And that was exactly what Marik was counting on. He was going to savor every minute of Kaiba's anguish, until the final pain filled moment.

Of course...there was still another card yet to put into play.

And she, herself, was that card.

* * *

Tea was growing restless with every breath she took. The venom had begun to numb her completely. Her need to eat, sleep, and drink was gone entirely. All she could think about was Marik, and everything and anything that he would do to her. She hallucinated seeing him everywhere.

Kaiba had begun to grow more and more concerned with her well being. And she was beginning to get the feeling that he was plotting something behind her back. Most likely he was planning his final attack. She would always pretend to sleep at night, and he knew she was, he could tell from the rhythm of her breathing, but every night he left anyway. He came back soon enough, but the obviousness of his actions led her to believe that the war between the two clans would soon be over.

But who would win?

Would anyone?

She sat on a windowsill in the main hall with her eyes focused on the world outside the window. The lush vegatation around the castle was refreshing , like a beacon of hope, but the barren wasteland in the distance appeared ready to swallow the safe haven whole. Her mind easily wandered to a distant memory of her life in her realm. She remembered dancing with her friends, and seeing the world with them. Her whole life had been one big adventure filled with ups and downs. Back then she understood who she was. Now she wasn't completely sure. From the way she viewed her life now, she was a vampire obsessed, venom filled human who was falling in love with the leader of a vampire clan from another realm, and who hadn't spoken an endearing friendship speech in who knows how long. Not the Tea that she was used to, and she was definately not enjoing the 'venom filled' part. If she could take the vampire Kaiba with her to her own realm, she knew she'd have perfection, but she also knew, that life didn't equate to perfection. It never did.

"You look like you're ready to fall apart," Tristan stated from behind her.

"You'd be surprised how true that is," she replied without looking at him.

"Is there anyway I can help?"

"Yes. Tell me, who was the Lady of Dawn."

"Why do you ask that?"

"I was just wishing I could bring pieces of my old life, and this one, together. But that reminded me that I belong in my realm, and you all belong in this one. I want to know who the Lady of Dawn was, and I want to know why the other me was called that."

"Well, I think Joey could answer that better than I could."

"I know, but I want you to tell me. It would be awkward for me to ask him that, considering the resemblance that she and I share."

"Well you and she shared the same name, but mostly we all called her Lady. She was stunning with a long head of while curly auburn hair, and intense blue eyes. She had the ability to make life flourish in the most barren places. Our oasis is an example of this. It was she that put it all together. She cherished life more than anything else. The legends spoke of the Lady of Dawn who could manipulate both life and death with just the tip of her fingers. Joseph fell in love with her fiesty attitude and her overall goodness. He loved everything about her, and would have died to protect her. One day she found a book, and soon she began to have nightmares of events that had never occured. She would leave at night, and not return for days, and one day she never came back at all. They found an unidentifiable charred corpse with the necklace Joseph had once given her. Marik had left a blood stained note by her body. It detailed how he had tortured and mutilated her for days. I'm not sure is Joseph ever truly recovered mentally after that. It did, however, fuel his hatred for Marik, and he used that energy to train harder, and soon became second in command."

"Poor Joseph. "

"He has gone through a lot."

"I wonder what was in the book Lady found. Something in it triggered visions. Something in it led her to the tragic death."

"We never found the book."

"Interesting."

"You're going to look for it, aren't you?"

"Absolutely." She turned to him and grinned. "Thank you for tell me."

"I'm not sure Joseph would be too happy, but you looked like really needed to know."

"Well she is my other half after all."

"You mean 'was' your other half."

"No I don't."

"What are you talking about?"

"Our two worlds are not parallel to each other, they are intertwined, ever changing, and sometimes effect the other. I think she was the one who brought me here."

"Why?"

"Every night I was drawn out to the lake. And then one night I was pulled in by this unseen force. And every night she was too, because she began to have these visions. It just doesn't fit together. We both have visions, and I come here, but she died before hand? I think there has to be a link to bring me here. Someone had to know I existed. Who better than my other half? The key to me getting home, will be a link. The memories my friends and I share, I think is that link. They remember me. I believe I can go whenever I choose, now that I have come to realize the way the realms work. But what brought me here? Her. The other me. Which means she can't be dead. I don't believe it. I won't believe it."

"You really came up with this all on your own?"

"Yes. Everything fits together."

"So if she really is alive, then where is she."

"Well, we'll have to ask Marik that question."

"I doubt he'd be willing to answer."

"Then we'll make him answer."

"You're starting to sound like Kaiba."

She laughed. "Wow, I really do. But first I have to find that book." She stood. "Thank you Tristan. Thank you so much."

"No problem."

"I'll see you later."

"Okay, be careful."

Tea shot him another smile and made her way down the hall that led to Joseph's room. She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a familiar voice.

"Come to me lover..."

She turned to see a vision of Marik standing behind her.

"Not again," she whispered. "Focus." She took a step forward and screamed as pain seared through her head. The venom was relentless.

"Tea, what's wrong?" Joseph asked as he came out of nowhere.

"It just the venom. Its growing so intense."

"It might be finally wearing off. You can do this, just hold on a bit longer."

She nodded. " I just need a purpose." She pushed herself forward. "The book."

"What book?"

"Lady's book."

He tensed. "How do you know about that?"

"Doesn't matter."

"It does."

"It doesn't. What matters is that the book holds the clues to figuring out what the hell is going on. Are you going to help me or not?"

He sighed. "When she died, I buried the book out in the wastelands. I couldn't bring myself to destroy something that belonged to her."

"Take me to it."

"I can't let you leave."

"I'll go whether you let me or not. This is bigger than you or I, or Kaiba's rules. I can figure this whole thing out."

"We'll take Kaiba with us."

"He's not here remember? He went to scout. Today is the first day he has left since the incident."

"And you waste no time in taking full advantage of that."

"Take me."

"I've never taken anyone to the spot that she and I shared before."

"And I'm sorry that I'm ruining something so sacred to the two of you, but this is something that I have to do."

"Fine, but if you die, its not my fault."

"Agreed."

"I doubt Kaiba will accept that answer though."

Tea grinned. "You're not the enemy, remember that."

* * *

The spot that Joseph had shared with Lady was beautiful. It was a cliff that overlooked an untouched plain of grass. The full moon made the blades of grass glow.

"She made the plains this way. She had a gift." He led Tea to a large boulder near the plains. Without an ounce of effort, he moved the boulder. Beneath it was a crimson book with leather binding. "The pages are blank." He handed the book to her.

It was weightless in her hands.

"Sorry to ruin this happy moment, but I'll be taking the girl."

Joseph jumped protectively in front of her as Bakura and a girl approached.

"And the book as well," Bakura continued.

"This will be your final resting place," Joseph stated.

"Oh my dear, you've gotten fiesty with age Joseph," the girl stated. She took a step forward, so she was completely illuminated by the moon's light.

Tea gasped.

It was like looking into a reflection.

"It can't be..."Joseph whispered.

"Lady..." Tea stated. "You traitorous bitch."


	9. Determination

Lady ran her hand through her long flowing auburn hair. Her eyes were piercing and emitted a dangerous crimson glow. Tea could barely believe that the girl before her was the acclaimed Lady of Dawn. Tea's initial shock over their physical similarities faded as she had a chance to look at the girl that was her other half. The two shared similiar facial features, but beyond that, Tea's hair was shorter and lighter and her eyes a vibrant blue, while Lady was like a nightmarish version of herself.

"Traitorous bitch? Yes, I think that suits me beautifully," Lady grinned. "I would love to continue this conversation, but I have more important matters to deal with, beyond my replica."

"Replica?" Tea asked with amusement. "I am no replica."

Lady laughed. "Poor little girl. You don't get it do you?"

"Shut up," Bakura hissed.

"No," Lady snapped. " I will not be silenced. The girl deserves to know." She locked eyes with Tea. "You my dear, are nothing more than a replica of me. Your whole existance is to be a sacrifice for me. Your whole realm is nothing but a tool for you to be raised and cultivated. I've waited centuries for my other to be born, so that I could bring you here and use you to complete the ritual that will bestow upon me absolute power. Don't flatter yourself with ideas that you actually have a choice in the matter. You, are nothing in comparison to me, and you do not have free will. It is your body that will grant me the ultimate power."

Tea shook her head. "No. That's not true."

"Oh, but it is."

"No, my decision to come to this location, my motivations, my choices, everything I have done, I chose to do."

"You didn't choose to come here."

"But I chose how I handled the situation. In your twisted mind, you may believe that everyone is meant to serve you, or service you, but that is not the truth. You are just another bitch who thinks she has the right to control others, well you don't and I won't let you win. I will go home, and you can't stop me." Her eyes never left those of Lady. "Do I look like I'm lying?"

Bakura growled. "You've become a lot more feisty since we last met. We will have time to play later, and I will get to taste your sweet blood, Marik will not get between you and I," he stated as he looked over Tea hungrily. "Lady, I'll get the girl and the book, you take care of your lover."

"Fine."

Joseph chuckled.

Lady cocked her head sideways. "Why are you laughing like that?"

"Do you really think I would bring her out here without any backup?"

"Liar."

"Am I?" Joseph closed his eyes. "Did you forget how you enchanted this place long ago? You said you didn't want anyone to know we were here, so you made so that when a person stepped onto these grounds, no other creature could sense him or her." He smiled.

"Hurry, kill them!"

Both Bakura and Lady sprung forward, but Joseph was faster, as he grabbed Tea around her waist, hoistered her over his shoulder, while turning around and sprinting into the plains of grass.

From beneath the plains two figures burst through the seemingly untouched earth. One of which was a vampire Tea was familiar with, the other was Kaiba.

"Get her out here," Kaiba growled, "we'll deal with Bakura and Lady. Go."

Joseph nodded, while Tea strained to get a look at Kaiba. "How did you know.."

"No time," Joseph yelled as he took off at full speed.

* * *

Kaiba turned his full attention to the girl he once knew as the Lady of Dawn and Bakura. His partner dashed forward with his full attention on the girl, while Kaiba lunged for Bakura. The two met mid air with a loud bang. Kaiba twisted his body and slammed Bakura down on the ground with full force. The white haired vampire hissed as he smashed his fist against Kaiba's face. Kaiba sent his hand crushing down upon Bakurai's head, smashing his head with full force into the ground, with no chance of repair, and thus ending what was left of Bakura's life.

Meanwhile, his partner was already dismantled by the enraged Lady, who then let out a piercing scream. "Kaiba, why must you always interfere?"

"Because that is who I am. And you should know better than to mess with a person I love. Your mistake."

"Goodbye, Kaiba. We will meet again, and you will die." Lady dashed off in the opposite direction, and Kaiba made no attempt to stop her. He had what he needed, and he knew that Tea would be furious when he returned, and that was one thing he would prefer to get over with sooner rather than later.

* * *

Joseph didn't let her go until he had carried her safely into the main hall of the castle.

He was suprised by how quiet she had remained the entire time, but as soon as her feet hit the ground she launched herself at him. He didn't move, expecting her to hit him. Instead she wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him tightly.

"I am so sorry. I am so sorry Joseph. I know you loved her and this must be so horrible for you."

"I will be fine. The Lady we saw tonight, is not the girl I loved with a passion. Please don't be sad. Sadness never leads to good. "

"I'm not sad. I am angry. Angry that she would do this to you."

Joseph grinned. "You're not going to fight her are you?"

"Will it make you smile like this?" Tea asked. "You've never smiled since I've been here."

"Don't expect too much of this."

"Oh I promise I won't, but it would still be nice if you did." She let go of him. "Now, how did you set it all up? How did you know I would want to go there? And how did Kaiba get beneath the plains?"

"I was going to go back in a few days, I was giving Kaiba a chance to go out and scout, we had a plan that he and one of our clan would hide themselves in the plains incase anyone came for the book. We figured you would begin getting suspicious, if not, I was going to mention the book. We figured what would bring out anyone looking for the book, is you." It worked out better than expected. Lady couldn't sense the book, because anything that would be detectable, including magic, was blocked within the plains. She couldn't sense the book, and probably figured I destroyed it."

Tea nodded. "So once again, I've been used as a pawn."

"Tea.."

She smiled meekly. "I'm going to look over the book, if you don't mind."

Joseph nodded.

"When Kaiba comes, tell him I'm staying in a guest room." Tea walked away with a new determination to get home, but she had a new purpose now, stronger than anything else, she was going to stop Lady even if she died in the process.


	10. Risk

Her fingers trailed delicately along the leather binding of the olive green book. An overbearing smell of decay and grass emanated from it, while feeling old, powerful, and daunting. In her hands she held the solution to everything that had gone wrong from the moment she was drawn to the lake, and brought into the realm of the vampires. _Vampires. _A word that had previously represented some Hollywood fable, or something of books. Now she was living in a castle filled with them, living in a world controlled by the creatures..._no not creatures...people_. They were people like her, capable of feeling pain, love, and all the emotion in between. She wasn't like them, and it was not her world to reside in. Tea was tired of it all. What was keeping her in this world?

Seto Kaiba?

She pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms around them, and placed her head on her knees. The guest room in the castle was dark, the bed comfortable with emerald velvet sheets, with a gold trim. Fit for royalty. Enough time had been wasted living with the vampires. The attachment she had for them would only make it harder to leave. The attachement would progressively grow the longer she stayed, and it was hard enough. Her heart ached for home, but her heart ached for him _more._ Promises had been made, but things had changed and now she had the book.

Slowly she sat up, while opening the book. As Joseph had informed her previously, the pages were blank. She placed her hand on a random page and frowned. _Nothing._ Quickly, she went to shut it, but noticed a small black speck, one she had not seen before. She stared at the page further, watching more black specks appear, she gasped when she realized they were formulating letters, the letters were creating words: the words necessary for her to discover how she was going to leave.

_"The Ancients weave fables of a woman with the power to alter time and space. With her eyes of blue sky, energy of the radiant sun, and power of endless possibility, she will bring about the destruction of the world as it is. Her strength allowing her to travel to a realm not her own, to become one with her linked dobbleganger. To hold her is to hold the sun, the sky, the universe. She is the Lady of Dawn, with the power to heal and destroy."_

"Linked dobbleganger? Is that me? Am i tied to her, just waiting to become part of her?" Tea whispered. These words were not enough. For hours she lay reading the book in hopes of a clue to help her, and it came in the form of a passage. _To travel between the realms...the willingness to go, and the need to be, must be met. Two sides of the coin must be linked. "_So I need something to link me to my realm? I have that, all my memories should be enough, as well as the friends and family that I have left behind."

A knock on the door startled her. "Come in."

Kaiba entered slowly dressed in black slacks, and shirtless. He did not sweat, but she guessed he had been working out. His hair was a mess in every direction, and his eyes were alert.

"You didn't have to leave my room, I would have let you have it."

She shook her head. "No, it is your room. It would be wrong of me to remove you from your own place."

"I am sorry about everything."

"Please stop. Whatever happened is over," she began, "we now have the book, and I can finally go home."

"Do you know how?"

"I believe so."

"I see."

She tried not to meet his ice blue eyes. Although it was as if he was begging her to do so, she also tried not to focus on his sculpted abs, that might proove even more dangerous than his eyes.

"Kaiba, listen to me, I need to go back so Lady can just forget about me, and her grand scheme. There's no reason for me to be here. People are going to die because of me, and I do not want that. Do you understand? Please say you understand why I have to do this."

"I am not sure I could bare seeing you go. I do not care how selfish it sounds. Tea, right now the things I that I want to do you...makes seeing you sitting there, gorgeous, unbearable."

Tea tried to hide her blush, because she wanted him to do whatever he wanted to her as often as he wanted. "Please stop, you are making it so hard for me."

"As you are for me."

"Let me go."

"You are asking me as if I have a choice, you already made up your mind."

She nodded. Her eyes met his and she knew he had won at least for this night. "Seto..I want you."

In a second he was on her, and in her. His hands running along every inch of her, while she latched on for dear life. She could barely catch her breath before his tongue met hers, and then the next second it was gone, running along different parts of her body.

* * *

Her feet pattered gently on the stone floor, she was clothed in a simple black shirt, and black pants, shoes, and a heavy jacket. It was a lot cooler at night. Kaiba was still in the guest room, waiting for her to return from the kitchen with food since she had claimed she was hungry. She still felt remnants of him on her. Just the thought sent a pleasant, yet unwelcome chill up her spine. She wondered how long it would take for him to realize she was gone. How much time did she have before he came after her.

She left the castle as quietly as possible through the back door into the garden. All she needed was space to concentrate, and she knew she would be fine. It would all be okay.

She thought of exactly where she wanted to be: home in her yellow studio apartment, laying on her white satin bed sheet in her queen size bed. That is where she wante to be. She imagined her friends waiting for her in her own realm. It all seemed perfect. She held Lady' book against her tightly, and wished to be back her own realm.

When she opened her eyes they were staring at a yellow wall, beneath her was the feeling of satin sheets. The familiar aroma of her perfume wafted up her nose. She was home. In her arms she still clutched Lady's book. She could not believe her eyes she was home. She checked her clock, and calendar. She gasped. She had only been gone three days. Not even enough time for anyone to truly take notice.

Finally, she was a home, yet the feeling inside her left her cold.

Like the worst was yet to come.


	11. True Lady

The daily routine had come back to her more naturally than she had expected. No one had even noticed she was gone, except for a few ticked off telemarketers. Three weeks had gone by and each day she forgot more of the vampire realm. She went back to having lunch with Yugi on Tuesdays, dinner with Serenity thursdays, hanging out with Tristan and Joey on Saturdays. It was like nothing had changed.

But it had.

Every time she saw a bulletin of the great and glorious Seto Kaiba, her heart broke. It never got easier to see the face of someone she loved, but to know it wasn't really him. She was in love with the vampire, not the human. The price she paid in leaving the vampire realm might have been more than she was willing to bear, but she was dating again, slowly. No one could keep her attention long though, her mind always wandered to places in the past.

When she arrived home Wednesday night with three bags of groceries balanced in one hand, and her keys in the other she pushed opened the door to her apartment without looking. She slammed the door behind her and wandered aimlessly in the dark in search of the table. Her thigh hit it first, and she threw the bags on it and wandered around until she found the light switch. She flicked it to on and turned around.

"My love returns."

She turned her head just enough to see the man sitting on her tan couch. Dressed in black pants, shirtless, with a red jacket over top, sat Marik. A million questions traveled through her mind, she did not bother to ask them, instead she threw open the door and made a dash down the hall, hoping to gain a few seconds head start with the suprise run. She reached the elevator smashing her hand on the button the door immediately opened and she hit the close button repeatedly. And then he was standing outside the elevator doors with his signature sardonic grin looking at her.

"You are quicker than you look."

"But not quick enough?" In her hands she felt her keys.

"Not at all."

Her ears caught the sound of the elevator doors beginning to close, years of experience had taught her that. With a quick toss she threw the keys at Marik, he caught them effortlessly and rolled them in his hand.

"Futile."

"Just a distraction."

He frowned as the doors closed shut.

Tea let out a sigh of relief as the elevator went down floor by floor, it was impossible for him to catch up even if he ran, and he would have to find his way to the staircase. She had just enough time to get to her car in the parking look in B1 from the 19th floor. She could make it, she was positive of that. There was no hesitation as the doors opened to B1, as Tea launched herself into the parking garage. Weaving her way through the clutter of cars, she found hers.

Then she realized she didn't have any keys.

Furious with herself she ran for the ramp leading out to the street. The noise of the city streets drew her, she was almost there and then anything was possible. She burst onto 5th street in Domino City barely missing a pedestrian couple. Raising her hand into the air she hailed a cab. She knew exactly where she had to be, because if there was a vampire on the lose, if that was indeed Marik from the other realm, then there were more important things to worry about.

How did he get here?

How did he find me?

Where is he now?

Who is going to help?

Who is in danger?

What is going on in the other realm?

Is Kaiba okay..

"Shut up!" she whispered to her mind. So many questions, and not enough time to figure out the answers. The taxi stopped and the man turned to her. "Sorry, this lunatic is in the street."

She leaned forward and in the dark night she could make out the shape of Marik. "Bastard..." she whispered. For the first time she noticed an odd necklace around his neck, shining luminously in the darkness. Then Marik moved, in a second he had broken through the windshield, glass shattering into pieces, he tore out the driver's throat and then slowly licked the blood off his hand before crawling towards Tea in the backseat. He grabbed her arm, leaning in close, whispered "Did you really think that I would let you leave?"

Her eyes met his. "You do not need me, so yes, for a few moments, I did."

He stroked her head. "Oh my dear. I do need you, I need your blood, you my dear are the Lady of Dawn."

"No I am not."

With an amused laugh, he stated, "Oh you don't think that the vampire you is the Lady of Dawn do you? Impossible. That wench only gained power because of her connection to you, you are the one with the power. You arrived on the full moon, drawn into our world by your own power. It is stated in the prophecy that on the full moon the Lady of Dawn shall arrive in her glory. The other you gained her power on the full moon, thus creating an illusion that is false. I know this since I have slain your dear 'Lady". I used her blood to create the amulet to arrive in your world. You have been gone over three months, and I can not have you slipping through my blood stained fingers my lover."

"What amulet.."

"You didn't think that your book was the only one did you?" He pulled the green book that she had taken from Lady from beneath his jacket. "Your ignorance is amusing. But I expect as much considering you have spent your life in this pathetic world." His grip on her tightened. "Hold on to me, you'll be doing a lot of it." He whispered a few inaudible words and suddenly she felt a weight crushing against her, her world spiraling away, and the next second she was lying in the sands of the vampire realm, the dark night looking down upon her. Marik stood beside her, his grip tighter than ever. "Not where I expected to land but good enough. Good night my dear."

"What?"

She did not have time to stop the blow sent her way, and soon she was shrouded in an unwanted darkness.


	12. Familiar Faces

A room of solid gold, glittering in the moonlight, with a king size bed of ebony draped in purple sheets of silk....an open window overlooking a sea of sand, destruction, and a wall of solid silver sheltering a forsaken tower in a forsaken city. It was the home of a mad man, one corrupted with power and his lust for it. It had also become Tea's prison. She had not expected Marik to have such lavish taste, she expected a room of women waiting to please him, dark rooms meant for things of dark intentions, but that was not the room Marik called his own. That was what the dungeons beneath his tower were for. She had taken the time to count the number of vampires at his disposal. Twenty three. Maybe a few more than Kaiba, but not much. But that did not include the whores in the basement waiting to use and be used. She hypothesized that the number of Marik's followers had dwindled with the construction of the silver wall. She had been told that many had die to build the monstrosity meant to keep Marik safe from his rival.

Two days had passed since awakening in the room. According to Marik she had been gone three months, not the few weeks she had gone through in her own realm. To her suprise he had left her alone and she had not seen him since the first day. Every few hours someone would bring her food, but that was all the interaction she had faced, for which she was grateful. The hunger in Marik's eyes was not something she wanted to see ever again. She spent her hours practicing and preparing herself for what was to come. She knew she would not be able fight him off, but inflicting momentary pain would at least be satisfying.

She had also been harnessing her powers. Never before would she have thought that she could use her energy for anything other than a punch, but each day she grew stronger, proving to herself that she had at least some of the powers of the lady of dawn. So far she managed to create a flame in the palm of her hand, to move objects inches, and to sense the presence of others short distances away. It was minor, but a triumph for the short time that she had been allowed to practice.

A few more days passed with the same routine, her strength building, but not enough. Joseph has said that Lady was strong, and that strength led to the creation of the oasis and to the field where the book had been hidden. If Tea was truly the Lady of Dawn, she should have as much power, and with practice she could come and go through the realms whenever she liked. She could see Kaiba as often as she liked. "No." she whispered to herself. The power she had was too dangerous and if it fell into the wrong hands, like it did with Lady, even her realm could wind up in danger.

Which led her thoughts back to Marik. How did he manage to make the amulet and to enter the human realm?

It was slight but she could sense the energy of someone making his or her way to the room. It left a bad taste in her mouth.

Marik pushed open the solid steel door that prevented her escape. He was dressed in nothing but a pair of baggy white pants. His muscles were firm and sculpted, but she expected no less. Instantly he had her on the bed and was on top.

"I have waited long enough to let my hunger build, but I am no longer able to resist you."

"Could you try a little harder?" Tea asked as she urged her mind to move him with her powers, but it was useless, she could not focus.

"I guess the lure of your blood will be my weakness for now" He lunged forward biting into viciously into her neck, while covering her mouth shut with other. Warm blood trickled down her neck and he tried to catch it with his tongue.

Images of Kaiba played in her mind, she just wanted him to know she was alive. "Someone please help me" But she knew better than to expect a hero in this nightmare. With the little energy she had left she pushed against Marik, kneeing him in the crotch. He barely moved as he was too enraptured in his blood lust. Her vision began to dim, and the pain in her neck was becoming a dull ache, she was beginning to not feel anything. Marik pushed firmly against her, when the door to the room burst open.

"Marik."

He paid no intention to the visitor.

"Something is happening sir."

It was one of Marik's vampire soldiers.

"We have intruders."

Marik pulled back abruptly. "Slaughter them."

"We've already been overtaken by them. Two of our men are dead, more by now."

Marik growled. "With the blood of the girl I will be able to slaughter them effortlessly." His head turned slightly to Tea. "I will return soon my pet. Do not die before then, there are games left to be played." With those words he ran out in a blur taking his minion with him.

Tea reached to her neck feeling two jagged puncture wounds. She stood up, heading towards the open window that overlooked the remnants of Domino City. Marik had positioned his room atop a twenty story building as if to gaze over the land to which he hoped to rule. With the remaining ounces of strength she had, she wanted to see the moon one more time. She leaned against the wall looking out.

A breeze blew by her while a blur jumped through the window, abruptly landing next to Tea. Beside her stood a woman in tight curve hugging dress with a long slit showing off her leg and upper thigh, as well as black heels. The woman's violet eyes met Tea's blue ones.

"Lady?" Her eyes then focused onto the person who had caught Tea. "No, this is not her, this is a human."

"My name is Tea," Tea whispered.

"I am Raven," the woman said.

Tea turned her head upwards and gasped. "It couldn't be you..."

"You recognize him?" Raven asked.

Tea nodded. "Yugi?"


	13. Familiar Enemies

Originally I had wanted the story to only be 12 chapters, instead I decided to change the name of the game in Chapter 12, which I think the readers deserved considering the amount of time it took to update a single chapter, now you have multiple chapters coming your way and i'll try my best to keep them coming. btw i love the reviews that question whats going to happen next, its awesome to see how everyone thinks and reacts, and sometimes the readers are right ;)

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/Happy Friday to everyone :D my gift to you

* * *

"The name is Yami," stated the man who resembled her best friend Yugi, but he was taller and _fiercer._ A long scar ran across his left eye, and he was wearing tight fitting black pants, a midnight blue shirt, and black boots.

"Master?" Raven asked with a quizzical look.

"Take the girl, I'll find Marik. It is time to murder the bastard."

"No," Tea whispered.

Yami frowned. "What? Are you one of his slaves." He leaned Tea against the wall for support.

She shook her head. "No, he drank my blood. He said he'd be stronger."

Raven hissed. "Bastard."

"Take the girl, make sure you keep her safe the others may be drawn to her blood, and Raven...don't die."

"Never," Raven answered with a grin and a wink as Yam left the same way Marik had previously. Raven looked down upon her. "I am going to pick you up, and carry you out the window with me, do not be afraid. I have trained for centuries unlike Marik's dogs. I am a master of the wind and my own strength." She picked Tea up effortlessly. "I hope I don't ruin my dress," she said wistfully, more to herself than Tea.

It was a surreal feeling, having the wind push against her body as the ground, one far way, was suddenly inches beneath her. Raven landed without a sound, although the ground did crack beneath her feet, she jumped again, but this time high above the silver wall and over it. Once again she landed silently with an inhuman grace. "Are you alright?"

"I am."

"Splendid," Raven said with a smile. "I am excited to see a new face, you're fresh blood, no pun intended."

Tea wasn't sure what to think of the woman who stood before her, her appearance was the of a nineteen year old, but she carried herself with grace yet somehow managed to give off the impression of a warrior in heels. It was hard for Tea to imagine a girl almost her own size, carrying her and jumping out a building.

"I am going to run us back to my group's compound, sorry but i'm going to have to cover your eyes. I can not let the enemy know where are base is, and you could very easily be the enemy." With those words Raven tore a piece of material from the bottom of her dress, while frowning. She handed the red cloth to Tea, please tie this around your eyes. Tea did as the girl said, but rather reluncantly. She wasn't completely convinced she could trust Raven or Yami, even if he did resemble Yugi. Whatever group Yami was a part of, had no association with Kaiba, and therefore, could be just another enemy. Kaiba had never mentioned anything of Yami before, but then again, he had no real reason to. He had no real reason to tell her anything other than what was needed to be known.

It felt like only moments before Tea was being placed on the ground.

"You can take your blind fold off," a familiar voice stated.

She did as told and was shocked to see Duke Devlin looking at her, or rather, the vampire Duke. He was wearing a red tank, multiple black bands around his wrists, and black pants. "Odd."

Raven was standing a few feet away with a bemused expression. Tea took a moment to gather her surroundings. It was a gorgeous with black rock that sparkled blue, an underground grotto. Candles lined the walls and reflected onto the wall the surrounded an underground lake. It was completely different from anything she had seen on the surface. She began to wonder what else was hidden beneath the surface.

"Yami told me to take her. She is not a vampire, although she may look like that girl who used to roam with Seto Kaiba's clan," Raven explained.

Duke nodded, "What happened to your dress? Did you run into much force."

"No, we entered through an open window and immediately ran into Tea. Isn't she just darling? A little blood stained but I can fix that right up."

He rolled his eyes. "Do you really think that is our biggest problem?"

"Silly boy, I have been alive hundreds of years learning how to judge a soul. Yours may be filled with anger towards the enemy and a need for redemption, but hers is filled with love and selflessness."

"And yours?" he asked with a hint of anger.

"Is a mystery," she said with a wicked smile. "Come Tea, let's get you cleaned up, Yami should be returning shortly."

* * *

Raven had changed into a long flowing aquamarine colored dress that reached the ground. She had given Tea a yellow halter dress, while allowing Tea to clean herself in a cove of water meant for that purpose alone. It was an odd experience, but refreshing nonetheless. Raven had placed a white lily in Tea's hair, which came from an underground garden that Raven had created where a patch of light slipped through the rock ceiling.

Tea had never thought she would find herself in a place that was so beautiful. It was like magic.

"Raven, why are you being so nice to me?" Tea asked as she stared at her own reflection in a mirror that had been taken from the world above. Raven had her own room with a makeshift door of blue sheets, containing a full sized bed with white sheets, an armoire of oak, and candles. The vampires had made a home beneath the surface that was just as good as any other. "I appreciate everything you are doing for me, but it seems like your efforts should go to more important things than me."

"You are so strange," Raven said as she twirled in her aquamarine dress, "but we all are. I am a girl at heart, my age means nothing because it was not until I met Yami a few years ago that I truly began to be myself. I spent centuries alone, running from the enemy, training and harnessing my skills. As soon as I saw you, I knew we would be friends. Remember that sometimes what you think is the best for everyone, is not the best for you, and therefore not the best for anyone."

"I am not sure I understand completely."

"One day you will, when your heart is able to accept it. Until then, I believe we should be friends."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Sure." Tea agreed with a smile. For some reason Raven made her feel warmth, and she truly believed that she could be her friend wholeheartedly. Tea felt a twinge, as if someone new was close. She could sense at least ten other vampires in the grotto, but they had hidden themselves, this was someone new, yet not. "I think Yami is back."

Raven tilted her head curiously. "Interesting. Yes, I can hear him. We'll just have to see what Master wants, now won't we? Are you ready to face your fate?"

"i faced tougher things."

Raven laughed and took her hand. "I never believed in fate anyway. We're in this together."


	14. Friendship

The duo wandered through the rocky path into the entrance of the grotto where Tea had first been. Yami stood next to Duke, both were whispering so she could not hear, but she was postive that Raven knew what was going on. Tea looked over Yami again. He seemed unharmed, but bothered.

"No," Raven interjected. Tea had not realized Raven had been part of the convo that Duke and Yami were having.

Yami's face was stern. "Raven we do not have time for this."

"Yes we do."

"Can you and I talk in private?"

"No, Master, we can not. You are only going to argue your point, pretend to listen to mine, and then go on with whatever foolish plan you have. So no, I will not talk about this in private." Tea was beginning to see two sides to Raven, the wistful girl, and the dangerous one. As free flowing as she seemed, she was fierce when the time required it, which made her even more impressive.

Yami let out a frustrated yell. He was so different than Yugi. His muscles were sculpted and well formed, almost enough to rival Kaiba's, although Yami was shorter. He had an air of power and cunning to him. And he reeked of sex appeal, unlike Yugi. Tea smiled to herself think of Yugi. She missed him, and Yami did not make it any easier. She suddenly understood how Joseph must have felt seeing her, and thinking of Lady.

"Rave must you be so difficult?! We can not let this go on further, and if we have the key within our grasps we should take it while the opportunity presents itself. Marik nearly slaughtered all of people back in Domino, because he was more powerful due to her blood."

"Ugh," Raven murmured. For the first time she looked frustrated. "If you want Marik dead, do it already. Tea here is an innocent bystander. She is not meant to be some tool in your battle with this fool. To you, it is one more casualty, but to her it is her _life."_

_"_Raven what are you doing?" Yami asked as he looked down at the linked hands of Tea and Raven.

"Master, she and I are friends. Is that a problem?"

"She is a human who doesn't belong here."

"And? She'll be the best friend I have until she leaves." Raven shrugged nonchalantly.

"Must you drive me insane?"

"Maybe."

Yami shook his head. "Fine, we will find another way of dealing with Marik. Take care of the girl, she is your responsibility."

"She is not a pet. I am postive that she is capable of functioning on her own. Duke, on the other hand, feel free to put a leash on him."

It was barely noticeable, but Tea swore she saw Yami's lips turn up slightly as if he wanted to laugh.

"Then why was she the one in Marik's grasp?" Duke cut in. "Sounds more like a whore."

"Excuse me?" Tea asked. "I found myself tricked into coming into this world, I spent weeks trapped in a strange land with beings that want to drink me, and when I finally find my way out to protect those same beings; a psycho with an amulet kidnaps me and forcibly takes my blood, and you think that qualifies me as a whore? You have no idea that things that I have been put through so that the _monster _you want to kill, could _not_ have the power that courses through my veins. I am no whore, and I'll leave the whoring up to you and your immortality Duke."

"See?" Raven grinned, "this is why I like her. Duke, please keep the name calling to a minimum or I will kill you."

"Raven," Yami interjected, "have Samuel set up a place for Tea in your room, bring in an extra bed, and meet me in my room in a half hour. We do need to talk about our next steps."

"Yes Master, as you like." Raven motioned for Tea to follow as she led the way back to her room. Tea closed the sheet behind them while Raven laid on the bed. "Samuel is very dutiful, most likely he already has a bed ready to placed in this room. Samuel's body is fifteen, do not be decieved, he is quite the man, but I am assuming you are used to this by now."

Tea nodded.

"Well I will go talk to Samuel, you can stay here, since I am also stopping by Yami's room."

"I have a question if you do not mind me asking."

"What is it Tea?"

"You call Yami 'master' yet you do not always follow his rules. Why is that?"

Raven shrugged, " Yami does not want servants, he wants comrades, and although they have voted him leader, I do not think he truly wants it. Yami wants to be on an equal level, and few can meet his level. I just choose not to deal with his nonsense, but by doing so, it puts me on the same level as him. I love it, and I find it highly entertaining."

Tea smiled. "Are you sure it isn't because he is madly in love with you?"

"Yami is incapable of loving me, because I am incapable of being loved."

"What do you mean?"

Raven smiled mysteriously, and left in an aquamarine blur.

* * *

Samuel was a blonde, scrawny, pale boy of fifteen with emerald green eyes and a perfect smile. At first glance, his appearance was startling, but even more so when the maturity and age seeped out in his words.

"The smell you give off could drive any vampire crazy," Samuel said as he set up the single sized bed next to Raven's. "Please refrain from injury, because even a drop of your blood could send them into a frenzy, currently there are thirteen of us, with ten out scouting. We can not afford to have you drive them blood crazy."

"You say 'them', why not include yourself?"

"Because some of us have devoted time in building our immunity to the call of blood, while others of our species need to engorge on animals every few hours. I believe that strength lies in diminishing the need for the blood of other animals, not matter how delicious they look."

"Has there ever been another human here before?"

"Once, a long time ago a girl arrived here of only eighteen years old by accident. The first one ever, she was a human with great strength, not equal to the Lady of Dawn, but more so than what she should have. In our world, humans are meant to be weaklings whose strength does not even compare to our own. Yet this girl arrived with abilities none of us possessed. You see, both our world and yours are connected, there are links, and sometimes those links fail and a person can pass through. She came through a link, one that placed her here. She wandered alone, wearing silver necklaces as protection, but one day she almost died at the hands of a blood crazed vampire. That was when she was turned vampire. No one knew that it was possible, because never before had a human been in our land."

Tea could barely fathom the idea of a human being alone in this world. Kaiba had found her almost immediately, she had never been alone to travel. "That poor girl."

Samuel laughed. "You feel sorry for her? I feel sorry for you, because you possess much more power than she, and are far the better trophy."

"One more question," Tea insisted. "What is the relationship between your clan and Marik?"

"Marik is a disgrace," Samuel growled, "slaughtering our own people needlessly when we are incapable of reproducing like other species. He is everything wrong, he is corrupt by power and delusional. He deserves what is coming to him."

"What about your clan's relationship to Seto Kaiba."

"What do you know about him?" Samuel asked the suspicion obvious.

"I know that he and his people are in fierce competition with Marik, and that Marik and he used to be allies, but no longer."

"Well Yami used to be allied with them as well, but that is a story that only he or Kaiba should tell."

Tea nodded. "Are Yami and he on speaking terms?"

"You will have to ask my Master himself. It is up to him to decide whether you are deserving of the knowledge."

For the first time, Tea was beginning to get a sense of fear, but it was not _her _fear. It belonged to someone else, her eyes locked with Samuel's for a moment, and she realized the fear belonged to him. Her powers were getting stronger, and now she was beginning to feel his emotions without meaning to. Something was wrong, and she needed to find out what it was, but she could not let him know. "Alright, I will leave it alone, it is probably not my place to know anyway."

"You are probably correct."

Except, she had _every_ intention of finding out the truth.

* * *

Awhile passed before Raven returned to her room. Tea had already situated herself in the bed that Samuel had set up for her. To her, Raven was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, possesing an eerie beauty and subtle dangerousness. In her aquamarine dress, she curled into the bed, and closed her eyes as if going to sleep, but Tea knew better, or so she thought.

Time went by and she realized that Raven was actually _sleeping_. Vampires did not sleep, yet here she was looking peaceful without a care in the world. Raven was more than Tea could possibly fathom, she was a vampire, but more than that. Yet, she found Tea to be so much more interesting. It was hard to understand.

Tea curled into her own bed and wrapped the off-white sheets around her. "Kaiba," she thought, "I wish you knew that I was here, in this world again. I wish you knew that I need you, and I want to see you again."

* * *

He had hardly taken a break as the weeks had passed, every moment his mind was twisted with thoughts of the girl who had left him behind. He knew he was wrong for feeling that way, but the promises made seemed like something so far away. He _never _made promises, and he was starting to remember why. The worst part of it all was knowing that he would never see her again.

"Kaiba I wish you knew that I was here, in this world again. I wish you knew that I need you, and I want to see you again."

The words that entered his mind seemed real, as if she was in the room with him. Kaiba felt a familiar longing return and he knew he had to find her. "I will find you Tea," Kaiba promised, and he never made promises.


	15. Reunion

Chapter 15

* * *

Three days went by in the grotto and the only vampire willing to talk to her was Raven. Yami was always busy, or being watched by Samuel. He did not want her to know what was going on, and that made it even more important to find out. Yami was the missing piece in the story, she was sure she could find out the truth from him.

"Deep in thought?" Raven asked as she entered her room after a day spent hunting. Today she had chosen to wear a tight fitting gold halter dress, covered in sequins. She looked radiant as usual. Raven had given Tea a long sleeved, off the shoulder black dress to wear, and it was becoming obvious that Raven was a fan of dresses, and gorgeous ones at that.

"There are just a few things I want to know thats all."

"We all want to know something," Raven said as she stretched across the bed, "the real is question is whether the information is worth knowing. Is ignorance worth it? Or is the price of knowing worth it?"

As Tea listened to the words of her new found friend, she understood what it was she wanted to know, and it was worth it. It was always worth it. "I am going to talk to Yami."

"For some peculiar reason Samuel has been watching him like a hawk, shall I distract him?"

"Could you?"

"Of course, I do not like his soul very much anyway."

"Really?"

"A soul of darkness eclipses the light I wish to have in my own my life."

It was sentences like that, that lead Tea to wonder who exactly Raven was.

Raven sighed, "Oh well, I shall distract him when he and Yami have returned from scouting."

"They are not here now?"

"No, is that a problem?"

"No it is fine, I just have things I need to know. Unlike you all, I do not have an eternity to find out."

Tea was surprised to hear Raven laugh, and it was the kind of laugh that instantly made her feel better. "Very true. So tell me Tea, how exactly did you wind up in this predicament? I would love to hear about it. Yami will return soon and this will pass the time."

"I was having dreams that led me to this lake, and one night I was pulled in. On the other end was this realm. When I first arrived I met Kaiba, I am sure you know of him and his family. I stayed with him for awhile, it was at his place that I first ran into Marik. He attacked me, bit me, and left me as a warning to Kaiba, also as a way to taunt him. I discovered through Joseph that a book existed that Lady used, and we went in search of it. When we arrived at the location Bakura and Lady, presumed to be dead, were waiting for us. We escaped with the book, and I took it and used whatever strength I had and went back to my realm. Days went by, one day I returned home, and Marik was awaiting me. I never knew how he found me, but he did. He chased me and brought me back into the realm. He said he used an amulet that he created from Lady's blood."

"You were discovered by Seto Kaiba then?" Raven asked, as if was the most important thing Tea had said.

"Yes."

"And you fell in love with him?"

"No, nothing like that, he just protected me."

Raven smiled radiantly. "You should have heard the way you said his name, behind his name was emotion, and that emotion was love. Unfortunately, I believe Marik has decieved you."

"How?"

"It is impossible for Marik to have made his way into your realm, even with the blood of Lady. Her power comes from the magic within, not from her blood. Your blood may strengthen Marik, but so would any human's blood. I have this feeling that you were deceived by an illusion. I have heard that Lady was quite good with them. With enough skill she could create an astral projection of Marik to come to you within your realm. That would easily explain how the fool appeared in your home, and you believing it was him, let fear and adrenaline control you. With good timing, Lady could have chosen a day when the link between the realm was weak, to pull you through. With your anxiety high, your powers probably were uncontrolled. You and she are unfortunately linked, by the power of the Lady of Dawn, but she is no you. The only reason she has power at all is because we are all linked to our counterparts in the other realm. Her counter part happens to be you."

"Each vampire is linked to a human."

She nodded. "Of course silly. Just like there are links between the realms, there are links between the other us in those realms."

"So you have a human link in my realm?"

"Not exactly." Raven turned her head slightly, just as Tea felt an odd sensation. The two locked eyes.

"They are back," Tea stated. She could feel their energy. It was a power she felt she should try more often.

"Have fun," Raven stated as she stood, "I will keep him occupied."

* * *

Tea found Yami in his room reading a book. It was simple a place, with just a bed covered in black sheets, and a filled bookshelf. Under his bed, a large brown case, probably filled with weapons, could be seen. It was obvious that there was no way of suprising Yami with his acute senses, and if he did not want her in his room, he would have stopped her beforehand.

"I need to ask you a few questions."

"Ask."

"There is a connection between the three of you: You, Marik, and Kaiba. I would like to know what that connection is."

"How does it benefit you to know?" Yami asked, without ever taking his eyes away from his book.

"I need to know why there is so much hatrage and what started it all. I just need to know."

"To better understand why you are so important."

"Yes."

"Marik, Kaiba, and I were like brothers, we traveled together for centuries scavengering for animals to feed us, training, and trying to find a place that we could live and make our home. It is a big world, this is just a small piece of it, but it is our piece. We lived here, slowly gathering followers, and then a human girl arrived. She suddenly changed everything. Her blood was like nothing we had ever experienced in the past, it was alluring, and had a draw to it like no other animal before. Humans had been things of legend, but she was a legend in the flesh. The girl had wandered for a time before we found her; half dead from vampires who had attacked her. We chose to protect her, and to help her get back to her realm. But Marik one day could not hold his hunger and he drained her. Kaiba and I did not know what to do, but we banished Marik. He took some of our followers with him."

"Did she die?" Tea knew the answer: this must be the girl that Samuel had talked about before.

"Venom had begun to course through her veins, which we had no idea of. Never before had we dealt with a human, and she reawoke, hungry for blood. Our blood. So Kaiba and i agreed that we both let her have some. We were curious to what would happen next, since we were fools. She became a vampire, and left us behind to explore the world and find out what being a vampire truly meant."

"And ever since Marik has been trying to take over."

"Yes."

"I am sorry to bother you, but I needed to know what caused all of this, to better understand where I fit into this whole scenario."

"Yes," Yami stated.

For the first time, Tea could sense another person coming, it was slight, but it was as if she recognized the prescence already.

"What is it?" Yami asked, "you seem..." Then he became alert of someone approaching. "How could you possibly know before me? I am just feeling the vibration of our guest's movements now." Without waiting for an answer Yami shot out of the bed in a blur. Tea ran after him, heading to the entrance where Raven, Samuel, and Yami were already waiting along with ten other vampire men and women.

"Intriguing," Raven stated, "it seems someone has found us."

"I never thought he would come here," Yami said, while glancing at Tea. "She is the reason why. I wonder how he figured it out."

Raven smiled. "Oh he is quite clever."

"So we shall see."

The entrance to the grotto was locked off by a makeshift door of metal, a loud bang echoed repeatedly from the other side.

"He's knocking?" Raven asked with a smile. "How polite."

Yami growled, while Duke approached behind him. "Yami who is out there?"

"Open the door and found out."

Duke looked baffled, but quickly hid the emotion, while he pulled a lever to allow the door to open.

The steel door opened, and Tea found herself holding her breath.

A man dressed in black pants, and a white trench entered the grotto. A few vampires kneeled down, while others simply stared at the man.

"Kaiba?" Tea asked as she took a step forward. He was just like she remembered him, and he was just as gorgeous.

He didn't address her right away, instead he turned to Yami. "It has been awhile old friend."

"Yes brother."

"I like what you've done to the place."

Yami smiled, "I like what you have done with your hair, very original."

"Theres no time to chat. I caught her smell when I was out searching, and it did not take me long to figure out where she could be. It may take Marik's people a few days to find this place, but by then it will be too late. You are underground, with few ways of retreat, you will be trapped."

"We will be able to protect ourselves," Yami stated. "That will not be a problem."

"Oh Kaiba, you finally found the woman you love and you're talking business?" Raven sighed. Tea could feel her face blush. "Silly men. You two talk business while Tea and I take a nap. We will deal with you in a little bit. Come Tea, let the war driven fools talk." The other vampires nodded in unison and went on with their business, leaving Kaiba and Yami alone with Duke and Samuel. Tea reluctantly began to leave with Raven, when she felt herself being turned around.

Kaiba's lips pressed firmly against hers and he pulled her in close. His kisses were like fire, and she never wanted them to stop. Her head was spinning with excitement that he wasn't mad at her for running off, and that he missed her as much as she missed him. She wrapped her hands around his neck, while trying to get as close as she could.

"You are even more beautiful than I remember," Kaiba whispered between kisses.

"You two do realize Marik is going to find us soon? Your kissing is not helping us proceed," Duke yelled.

"Duke do you ever shut up?" Raven asked. "Oh wait..."

Yami laughed for the first time since Tea had been there, and it nearly made her stop kissing Kaiba, because of sheer shock. Almost.


	16. The End

IT has been a long wait. One that I did not do on purpose, (sorry if there are grammatical errors in this story but I needed to write it fast and get it done) but I've gotten caught up in life. Some things should not be left unfinished, and this fan fiction is one of those things, so here is your finale, your conclusion. I have been reading this book that is so well written over the last few days, by an author who started writing on fan fiction, which made me want to finish this, because all the readers, and myself deserve a conclusion. (This won't be as well written lmao) I had a whole other plot line in my mind for this chapter that would have expanded the story, but it was erased by accident, and I realized that maybe that's not the journey this story was meant to take. Enjoy the last chapter of our story. Sorry if it's not the ending you hoped, but the one this story deserved.

* * *

Tea stood alone outside of the silver barrier that protected Marik's tower from the vampires who aspired to kill him. At first glance, it would seem impossible to make it over such a monstrosity, which was built by vampires who unwillingly sacrificed themselves to Marik. He forced his slaves to build a wall of silver, knowing that it would drain the life out of them. A cruel death for those who did not deserve it.

But she was determined to return the favor to him.

A chill traveled up her spine as she realized how dark her thoughts had become. The girl she used to be was slowly fading into oblivion, and a small part of her was hoping that with Marik's death, she would regain part of herself. She cocked her head to the left to see if Raven had finished preparations. The gorgeous raven haired woman was briskly walking towards Tea with a look of ease.

"How did it go?" Tea asked.

Raven shrugged casually in her long black dress, but smiled. "Do not worry friend, we will be fine. It was easy enough to get over this monstrosity the first time when Yami and I rescued you; the second time will be even easier, because I know where to land." The vampire winked at Tea and made her way over to Yami and Kaiba. The former allies had decided a direct attack on Marik, quick and painful, was the best course of action. They had also decided that leaving Tea behind was ideal, but obviously that had not come to fruition. She had refused, as Kaiba had expected, but she made sure to treat him to one last night of passion before the fight, because part of her knew it would be her last chance. Seto had no idea what was on her mind, or what she was planning on doing, and she had every intention of keeping it to herself, until the last possible moment.

In the distance, the vampire allegiance of Seto and Yami had setup a base camp, but she had a feeling it would not be necessary. Once the fight was begun, it would soon be over.

There were forty vampires in total ready to fight and one human girl with a little magic. She wasn't sure what numbers Marik had, but by now he was probably aware of their arrival. She spotted Joseph and Tristan chatting in the distance and it reminded her of home, Duke was flirting with a few of the female vampires, and then there was Kaiba and Yami discussing battle strategies. Raven was sitting idly by herself now, her eyes focused on Samuel, Yami's blonde companion, with an intensity Tea had never seen on her face. She knew there was something off about Samuel, but Raven had been unable to convince Yami to not take his loyal companion of years. She remembered the scene quite vividly:

_With a graceful elegance, Raven made her way through the winding dank tunnels of the grotto to Yami's room. The beauty was dressed in a flowing white dress, which was reminiscent of wedding dress. Yami was looking over battle strategies since had begun to make preparations with Kaiba, who was currently at his home base consulting with Joseph and the rest of his clan. Tea had mutely followed behind Raven, using a little magic to be soundless. Raven had mentioned that she was going to talk to Yami, but something had been different about Raven, and it had worried her enough to follow behind her friend. It had been two days since Seto had come, and Tea had begun to test her magic out in hopes that it would be of use in the future. She had little way of knowing the future would be only two days, and that soon enough she would be standing outside the of silver barrier that stood between her and evil. _

_"Master," Raven stated._

_Yami looked up at the girl. "What is it Rave?"_

_"Samuel cannot be trusted; his heart grows more tainted by the darkness with each passing day. He will be the eclipse to our sun if you wait too long. "_

_In an instant Yami was standing in front of Raven. "He has been my trusted companions for centuries. He will not fail me."_

_With a whimsical sigh, Raven shook her head. "Master, his heart has been clouded by memories of the past, and aspirations of the future, for things you cannot offer him."_

_"What could Marik possibly offer Samuel?"_

_"A way into the human realm."_

_Gently, he placed his hand on her shoulder, and whispered, "It will be okay, he is not the type."_

_"He looks at Tea with envy. He has been watching her, and trying to squelch her attempts of helping you finish Marik's life. He wants out, and he has despised this place since I can remember, not everyone wants to battle for nothing. He has nothing to fight for, until now. Now Marik can offer him a way to another realm, or at least that is what this lost soul hopes to be true. I fear he has betrayed you."_

_"You seem sure of this, but I have only seen proof of his loyalty to me, and I cannot afford to let one more ally go. Marik is already strong due to the blood he drank, and he has Lady with him, there will be no getting around it. We will need his help, as well as the assistance of Seto."_

_Never before had Tea seen Raven upset, but for the first time she could sense the frustration pouring off the girl. Hidden in shadows Tea stayed, as she focused her magic on being invisible. _

_Raven shook her head, and her black hair fell around her face. Yami pushed it aside gently, while he let his hand linger for a moment. "I am sorry Yami, but I cannot be here." He moved closer until their bodies were inches apart. _

_"What are you saying?" _

_"If you cannot believe me, then how can I stay here with you in this place? I have put my soul in your hands, and even Seto's, because you two are my makers. Your combined bloods completed my transformation, and I have waited so desperately for me to see you in a light other then the men who turned me into vampire. Marik was the catalyst, but you helped, no matter how ignorant you were towards everything. There's this dark energy growing, and it'll consume us all. I cannot be here." With her hand she grasped Yami's, and pushed it away from her face. "Foolishly I wanted you to make me be grateful for everything, for this second chance at life, but it hasn't happened. Maybe I was expecting too much, but I was hoping to find something I did not have in the human world. The accident that brought me here, I wanted it to be destiny, not chance. I feel all this malice, negativity, and imbalance. It is slowly killing me from the inside out, but you've never noticed." A tear rolled down her face, and Yami caught it with his hand, as if it was too precious to drop. "There were nights when Seto and I would meet, because he could sense my anguish. He was like a brother to me, but with you there is just something blocking us. Why can't we have that? Why do I have to feel so incomplete and tainted?"_

_Yami smashed his fist into the wall, his whole arm tense and bulging. "Because you won't let me love you."_

_"I am not meant to be loved."_

_"Says who? Who makes those decisions?" Yami roared with frustration. "Do you not understand how it kills me to see you like this? You have always been free flowing in thought and nature, unable to be tamed. But I do not want to tame you, I just want you to let me love you, but you refuse. You always move on elsewhere when things confuse you, and then you return to me a fresh slate, ready to be friends like we have met all over again"_

"_You do not understand Yami," Raven stated coldly. "You do not love me. Or you would believe me."_

_He said nothing; instead he pulled her close, into a passionate kiss. Raven's arms reluctantly wrapped around him, while he pulled her as close as possible, as if any space between them was too much to bare. Tea slowly backed away, because she felt as if she was a witness to something too private to see. It wasn't her place to be there, but in that moment Raven pulled away. _

_"That will be our last kiss goodbye. I am leaving; keep Tea safe, I will see on you on the battlefield."_

_"Rave. Don't go. Things can not end this way between us."_

_Gently she shrugged, "All endings lead to a new beginning." _

"TEA!"

Her named brought her back to reality and she turned to see Tristan and Joseph heading her way. They each gave her a hug: Tristan's was tight and almost squeezed the life out of her, while Joseph's was firm yet comfortable. "Boys, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"We are ready," Joseph stated.

"Hell yes," Tristan agreed, "this is what we have been waiting for; let's go kick a little Marik butt."

Tea smiled, "It's so good to see you guys, and don't die. I couldn't bare it."

"We have no intention of dying, not until Marik is a pile of ashes," Joseph reassured her. "And if you see Lady, give her hell Tea."

"Of course."

Suddenly, Yami called all the vampires together. Tea stood between Tristan and Raven, while Joseph stood close to Kaiba. The plan was simple: jump over the wall, break through the windows and kill enemy vampires, take as many hostages as possible, and kill Marik at all costs. When the group parted ways Seto made his way over to Tea and pulled her into a long passionate kiss. It went on for what felt like eternity, but Tea enjoyed every minute, and part of her wasn't sure whether or not it would be here last kiss with Seto.

"Seto I love you."

"I know. No one can resist my sex appeal."

She laughed.

"Tea, I love you more than you will ever know, and you will be the only one to have my heart completely. Never forget that." In a flash, he threw her over his shoulder, and grabbed her legs. "I will take you over the wall, but stick with Raven; she is going to protect you. Yami and I will be going after Marik. Are you ready?"

She kissed the back of his neck. "As ready as I can be."

* * *

In moments chaos broke out, the glass shattered as vampires forced their way through the windows, and into Marik's base. Soon each floor became a battle field of vampires and death. Kaiba protected her as much as possible as they made their way up the levels of the building. While Kaiba was focused on finding Marik, Tea was focused on locating the source of energy she felt on the current floor.

"I'll be okay Seto, go!" she yelled.

He hesitated, until Raven made her way up to the two, "I have her covered Seto. Go."

Kaiba nodded and ran with lightning speed up the next set of stairs.

Tea nodded towards a decrepit hallway. Faded wall paper hung of the walls, tiles were either cracked or broken, and the smell of death filled the hair. Raven and Tea cautiously made their way down the hallway and into what looked like an old library. Old book shelves lined the walls, with even older books filling them. In the center of the room stood Lady, with a satisfied smirk on her face. Raven took a defensive step forward, while Lady shook her head.

"Did you really think I'd be alone?" Lady asked with a sardonic laugh. Raven barely glanced back, while Tea had to turn around to see who was standing behind the duo.

She'd recognize the thin frame and blonde hair anywhere. "Samuel? But I thought you hated Marik for needlessly slaughtering vampires, when your species was incapable of reproducing. "

"I lied," Samuel laughed.

Tea shrugged. "Well I'm not entirely surprised."

"I am not at all," Raven stated. "You heart is too dark."

Samuel shrugged. "Shame you weren't smart enough to put the pieces together beforehand-" His sentence was abruptly cut off by the sound of his neck snapping. He crumpled to the ground, revealing that Yami had been standing behind him. She watched as Yami dropped a match on Samuel's corpse. It erupted into flames, and he didn't even flinch.

"I followed him here, to make sure he didn't harm you, "Yami stated. He locked eyes with Raven, "Of course I believed every word said Rave. I just didn't want him to be eavesdropping and to hear the things you were saying. I am will forever be sorry for letting you believe I doubted you, because I didn't. We'll talk about this later. Are you ladies okay to handle this?" Both girls nodded. "I am going after Marik. Seto will need my help." Yami left in a blur, and the two girls returned their attention back to Lady who stood alone in shock.

"Looks like you're alone now," Raven smirked. "This is for the lives you ruined." Without hesitation, Lady lunged forward towards Raven, who immediately lunged forward. The two met in mid air and fell to the ground while Tea watched.

In her mind, Tea thought of a ball of light, its energy slowly behind drained away by a hidden force. She was the force. With an outstretched hand, she drew in the magical energy that in some way, bound the two women together. Lady let out an excruciating scream as the magical energy was ripped from her body. Raven grabbed the other vampire by the neck and snapped it effortlessly. The two friends stared at each other in astonishment, that they had done what the came there to do. The only thing left was to finish Marik once and for all.

"Are you okay?" Raven asked.

Tea nodded. It felt like she had just watched herself die. She fought of the urge to cry for the girl who shared her face. But Lady did not deserve her tears. "Let's go. They may need us."

* * *

At the top of the building was where Tea and Raven found Marik. It was an open room, with only pillars supporting the ceiling, and no walls. She could clearly see out into the desert wasteland that was Domino City. Seto and Yami stood on opposite sides of Marik who stood solid in the center. But there was something different about, he stood shirtless in nothing but pants, but his entire chest was carved into with something permanent. The lines that traced his body did heal like they should for a vampire. This mutilation was permanent and it felt like magic. Lady must have devised a way to enchant Marik through the use of permanent markings.

There was no way the two leaders could fend Marik off with the incantations on his body. Raven was thinking the same thing, but she grasped onto Tea's arm, and they locked eyes.

"Tea, I was a human once like you, which I assume you've managed to know. I had the ability to feel things that others couldn't, too look into their hearts, and to feel the energies around me. It wasn't until you showed up that I realized that this gift I was granted could be magic. Before me, Marik stands with markings on his body, but I can _see _them, and feel what each does. With your powers as the Lady of Dawn, you can erase them with my help. Shall we?"

Tea nodded, "Anything to help." She intertwined her arms with Raven's as she focused her energy towards removing the spells that Lady must have placed.

Kaiba circled Marik like a wolf does to their prey. Marik smirked and launched into an assault of punches and kicks, while Yami came up the rear and grabbed onto Marik's back. The crazed vampire laughed, flipping Yami off of his back and directly towards Kaiba. Kaiba caught his friend, but was pushed towards the edge of the landing. While the two were preoccupied, Marik launched towards Tea and Raven. Without ever unlocking their arms, Raven threw Tea into the air; her legs smacking Marik on the face, and then placed Tea gently back in standing position. It was enough time for Kaiba and Yami to regain their composure, and to launch their own attack against their former ally.

Slowly the markings on Marik's body began to disintegrate as Tea broke each of the markings. Lady had been thorough with markings to increase vitality, strength, speed, and even to protect on enemy spells. But Tea now had Lady's power, and she was determined to make sure that Marik met his end. No matter what the costs would be.

As the last mark vanished, Marik growled, his eyes darting to Tea. "I assume Lady has met her end?"

"Good assumption," Tea said. Raven unlocked her arm from Tea's and joined the other two vampires.

"Three against one? And you say I don't play fair? I'll enjoy draining the whore when I finish with you three."

Kaiba growled and lunged forward, as Marik had expected, what he wasn't expecting was his ability to move. His eyes in the brief seconds that remind shot to Tea. She gave him a slight wink. An immobilization spell had come to mind, most likely through the knowledge she had gained through Lady's power.

Kaiba's body struck Marik's with full force, and off the tower the vampire fell. The four ran to the edge to see what would become of the vampire. As he fell his find turned into an evil smile, until his body landed onto the silver wall. His screams erupted as the silver melted his body apart, until he was nothing more that melted liquid.

It seemed almost ironic that he died on the very thing meant to protect him.

"Fool," Kaiba stated.

Yami turned to Raven, "Let us go check on our brethren." Raven nodded in agreement, and the two lovers were left alone.

Kaiba pulled Tea close to him, "It's over."

She smiled weakly. "Yes, for him and me."

Her lover pulled away to look at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Seto, I can't stay here forever. I am human, and I will age. Maybe in a romance novel you could convince me to become like you, but I can't do that. I have a home that I am attached to, and people that I love, who will wonder what happened to me. It's selfish of me to that to them, especially when I have the choice to save them that pain." Her hand touched his cheek. "I will never love someone like I loved you, you'll always have me. But I cannot live this life. I am meant to be human, meant to live and die, not live forever."

His hand touched hers. "I hoped you wouldn't go, but a part of me knew that you would. I love you Tea, and you're the first to have my heart, and the last."

"I didn't have a heart to give until I met you," she smiled. "But I feel like I'm losing me along the way, with the horrible things I've witnessed, and that's the girl you fell in love with, and that's who I want you to remember me as."

He pulled her into a passionate kiss, for her time seemed to be frozen in place, and there was only this moment, only them.

* * *

Raven and Yami had the led the remaining allied vampires and the hostages back to the base camp that had been set up. The moon was high in the indigo sky. Yami led Raven away from the camp, and prying ears.

"Raven, I love you."

They stood only a foot apart from each other, her long hair blew gently in the wind. "In my human life, many loved me, but I love none. I had hoped that in the second life that you and Seto granted me, that I would find someone to love. But I don't know. I feel this bond to Seto like a brother, but with you it's so complicated and confusing, and I've left your side so many times because my mind is so confused. Sometimes I just want to shake you, and other times I imagine what it'd be like to be with you completely. It so frustrating." She sighed.

"It's only frustrating because you don't want to admit you love me back. Which you do, and I know it."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "Confident?"

He laughed. "Rave, you're afraid of letting someone else into your heart. But I'm already there, I'm not going to hold you back, I love you, I never hold you back."

"Are you sure you can handle me?" With a wink she began to walk away, "I may be too much for you to handle." Suddenly, he was in front of her, with his arms around her, pulling her into a kiss. He ran his hand through her hair and she let out a gasp. "I love you."

"I know."

* * *

The hardest thing Seto had ever done was let Tea go, but she knew that was a sure sign that he loved her as much as said, or even more. Closing her eyes, she had envisioned home, and a portal had opened up, taking her to her home. She didn't want to say goodbye to anyone else, or she would never leave, in addition to that, she had a feeling that Raven had known the whole time what she would do.

As the weeks went by, Tea fell back into routine and into her old life, and on one brisk Sunday morning as she walked through Domino Park, she saw a little girl crying over a dead flower. Without thinking Tea walked up beside the girl and knelt down. "What's wrong honey?"

"My flower died," the girl whimpered.

"Oh really?" Gently, she touched the flower, instantly the flower petals began to sprout up, and become alive and vivid. The little girl gasped in surprise as she looked between the flower and Tea. "It's magic." With a wink she left the girl in awe, and a little more curious to the world and the magic it held.


	17. Epilogue

Perfect harmony.

That was the first thing that came to mind when Joseph saw Yami and Raven. Every graceful movement she made, he moved with her in his own way. It was like they were dancing subconsciously. There was something about Raven that was supernatural, and that was saying something when it was coming from a Vampire who lived forever. Kaiba's clan and Yami's had come together to celebrate the five year anniversary of the defeat of Marik, and everyone seemed to be in high spirits. It wasn't often that anyone had a bad day, although sometimes he wondered if Seto was still all there. After finding out Tea had left, Joseph expected Kaiba to fall apart, but remained unchanged, as if he knew he'd be seeing her again.

But then there were moments when Seto would simply leave and not return. It was during those times, that Joseph wondered where Seto went, and what he was up to.

The celebration continued in the castle that Kaiba resided in, everyone was laughing and smiling. Joseph himself could not help but smile when he saw Tristan making a failed attempt to flirt with a few of the vampire girls. The poor guy had no shot of winning them over.

A hand touched his shoulder, and Joseph nodded at Seto. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Seto stated, "I think I am going to take a walk. Can you manage things in my absence?"

"Of course."

Seto nodded and slipped away down one of the corridors. Joseph doubted that anyone would notice, but then he caught a glimpse of Raven with an all knowing look on her beautiful face. She smiled to herself and wrapped her arms around Yami in a way that seemed natural and perfect.

He leaned against the wall, and felt a shuffle in his pocket. Frowning, he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. It hadn't been in there before. With his fingers he opened it gingerly, and silently read the words to himself.

_Joseph, my companion, my brother. I leave our family in your hands, as I am no longer fit to guide. My mind is somewhere else, and my heart is following it. Farewell, I hope that you will take good care of them, better than even I could. I will not forget you - Seto Kaiba_

Numerous emotions ran through his body, but the one that surprised him the most was the happiness he felt. Kaiba was finally doing what he should have done years before. It brought great joy to Joseph that Kaiba was going to follow his heart. He looked over the happy crowd, it seemed wrong to tell them of their leader's departure. But Joseph felt sure that he would be able to lead them, with the help of Yami, to a bright and long future.

* * *

A lone lake was situated in the middle of the wasteland. Surrounding it was a few dead roots, and an animal carcass Seto looked at the murky water and took a step forward. He was not entirely sure what Joseph would think once he read the letter, but he was overly confident that Joseph would do a good job, maybe not as good of a job as him, since he was Seto Kaiba, but a good job nonetheless.

After living for numerous years, Kaiba had decided that it was enough. To live forever, was not something he looked forward to, so he decided to end his life. Many of the things he had done, or witnessed in his life had been horrible. Although, some had been good. He was determined to focus on his good memories as laid back into the water and let it consume him.

Vampires didn't breath, but the intake of water into his body, would over take him.

He felt someone's hands wrap around his waist and pull him up. With an angry sigh he opened his eyes, to see who refused to let him die.

"Falling into a lake...a little cliché don't you think?"

Seto wondered if this was heaven, or maybe hell?

"What is this?"

She smiled at him, "It's me Seto."

His ice blue eyes looked into hers. "I know who you are, but am I in heaven or hell?"

As she pulled him close to her, she whispered, "Neither."

"Where am I?" he's eyes took in everything. And that wasn't much. It was like being in a see of white, the only thing being them. In this world, she was more vibrant, as if in an anime cartoon.

"You're in between."

"In between where?"

"The realms."

"Then are you real?"

"Seto, I am as real as I have always been."

"Really Tea?"

The brunette looked at him with eyes filled of understanding. "Why did you go to the lake that night?"

"I was in the area, and I felt like I had to be there."

"And you found me."

He nodded. "Yes. I found you."

"And now you've found me again. For the last time. It all comes full circle." For the first time he noticed the beautiful flowing silver dress she wore. She reminded him of an angel. "How do I prove to the great Seto Kaiba that I'm real?" In an instant she threw herself at him, her lips smashing against his, and he pulled her close He ran his hand through her hair and felt the warmth of her body.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear.

"I know." She placed her hands on his face and looked into his eyes. "Seto, I have something to tell you." He kissed her cheek. "You are going to die." He froze for a second. "And I am here because just like that night years ago, I felt drawn here. With my magic, I made it to the realm in between, never able to fully crossover to see you. Although, I have wanted to all these years. The passage between our realms is closing, and the only place we can meet, is in between. I could have stayed with you Seto, but I couldn't stand dying one day as you live on, or becoming a vampire myself. Neither of those things are what I wanted, or want now. Now the worlds are separating and we won't ever be able to see each other again. Except for this moment that was have now." She looked around at the never-ending white. "The only place for you to go is back into your realm, where you will die in that lake."

"And eventually you'll die in your world."

She nodded. "Old age leads to death. It's the downside to being a mortal."

"Or the benefit." With a gentle kiss, he pulled away from her. "Who says that Death is our only option?"

"If anyone could out do death it would be the great Seto Kaiba." Gently she placed her hand on his. "I'm afraid of never seeing you again. As the realms drift, I forget more about you. It's like they don't want me to remember, but you're always in my heart. I'm just afraid." A tear ran down her cheek. "I'm afraid I won't remember the most important person in the world to me."

He laughed. "Tea, you're the most powerful person I know. You have magic that no others possess. " He coughed and water left his mouth. "My body is still in the other realm Tea."

She covered her hands with her face, "NO!"

"I'm dying Tea, it's okay. It was the reason I came to the lake in the first place. I wanted a relief from this life I have lived for so long."

"You can't die," she cried out and he pulled her close.

"How do you think I felt when I watched you leave, knowing one day you'd grow old and pass away."

"If your body is in your world, then I'm talking to your soul."

He nodded and pulled her close.

"You two need are making me sad," a voice cut in. They both looked up abruptly.

"Raven?" Tea asked.

The beautiful vampire smiled. "You're not the only one with spunky powers Tea. I'm from your realm too. And I have always been special, like you've noticed." She turned to Kaiba. "Seto, as one of my makers, it's hard to see you like this. Teetering between life and death. Some souls don't deserve this kind of torture. So I have come to help you. Tea, you didn't want to live forever, and become a vampire. Kaiba do you care whether you're a vampire or not?"

"I've never known anything else, but I have no particular attachment to it."

Raven smiled, her long blue dress seemed to flowing on it's on. "Well then, the solution is simple." She gestured for the two to stand up. With a gentle shove she pushed Kaiba backwards, and he fell into the white as if he would never stop.

"SETO!" Tea screamed.

Raven smiled, "Tea, my best friend, don't worry." She placed a hand on Tea's stomach. "I know why you want to be a human. You'll make a great mother one day." And with the same gesture as with Kaiba, she pushed Tea back, and Tea fell.

A gentle tear of happiness for her friends rolled down her cheek as Raven went to return to the Vampire Realm. The Vampire Realm had gained one vampire when she had arrived in it and was turned, and to maintain a balance...

* * *

When Tea opened her blue eyes, she was laying by the lake she had traveled to so long ago. The trees enclosed it as it had years before, and she was drenched in water.

"Tea?"

Her eyes shot up to the man holding his hand out her, she took it, and stood. "How is this possible?"

Seto shrugged, "she has made me human."

Tea felt her eyes water and he pulled her close. His body radiated with heat, and it caused her to involuntarily smile.

"It's okay Tea. I love you."

. "This is impossible. You're here, in my realm, with me."

"Wait, didn't you say there already was a Seto Kaiba in this realm?"

She looked at him and laughed. "Yeah, I guess we're going to have to keep you a secret. Maybe we'll move to, Australia."

He smirked, "I could just assassinate him."

"NO! No assassinations," she laughed. "I've always wanted to live in Australia."

"As long as we're together, I'm complete."

* * *

This was the Epilogue to my story. I hope you have enjoyed it. Do me a big favor and take the Vampire Realm Poll on my profile and tell me who your favorite character(s) in the story was. I hope you felt for the characters and I hope you weren't disappointed. Please leave a comment and tell me how you feel :) Thank you


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